Involved
by jenmc
Summary: An alternative narrative of the love story between Molly and Captain James with the details I wanted to see on the TV version! Begins at the end of episode 2. Warning - contains copious amounts of smut, so grown ups only!
1. Chapter 1

"Listen to me Dawes"

"Do.."

"Do"

"Not.."

"Not"

"Get in-fucking-volved"

He stared hard as he drilled those words into her "because I need you 100% by my side here"

"I am 100% by your side sir."

Molly gulped. Those words were all too accurate.

The problem was that she was in-fucking-volved.

With him. Captain James.

She wasn't sure if it was the abnormal surroundings she found herself in, the fear, the adrenaline, or just the sheer elation from still being alive after the suicide vest which detonated 20 feet from her today, but her feelings for him were becoming more intense by the day. When the dark nightmares of Afghanistan arrived like clockwork every evening to take over her sleep, his face and his calm, commanding manner were the anchors she visualised to pull her from her internal terrors. He wasn't just taking care of her on the battlefield. She relied on his presence, and the way he made her feel safe with one look, to soothe her fears at all times.

She was 100% by his side.

She was in-fucking-volved.

She was screwed!

After the vest had been taken from Bashira and had detonated today, there had been a rare chance for physical intimacy. She stood clamped between his open thighs to clean his eyes, coated in dust and debris from the explosion.

She was so close, she could feel the heat radiate from his body. She touched his beautiful face gently as she wiped the stray eye drops from his cheeks with cotton wool. It was everything, yet at the same time it only made her crave more.

She wanted to run her hand through the thick curls on his head, covered in dust and afghan grime. She needed to touch his strong but lean body and run her hands along his arms. It was a physical craving.

She watched a stray drop of saline run from his deep brown eyes and down his cheek, straight toward his full lips. It took all of the restraint in her not to lick the lucky drop from his face.

But he is her Captain. He doesn't get emotionally involved. So why, when she steps closer, does she feel an involuntary shiver escape from him? The temperature is 45 degrees out here and yet he has goosebumps..

She has to remind herself that they are in the makeshift medical tent, where any of the lads could walk in without announcement. She needed to get a grip. Army regulations are stronger than any feelings, after all.

But...the things she wanted to do to him. The things she wanted him to do to her...Those things could have her kicked on her arse out the platoon, not to mention the army, and on the first plane back to Brize Norton. Still, that thought wasn't enough to extinguish the butterflies in her stomach that ached for him to touch her.

Sometimes she imagined that he felt the same. She imagined the things that could happen if they found some time alone, with no interruptions. The thought was too much to bear, and she had to remind herself just where she was.

_Focus, Dawes_. She sighed inwardly as she finished patching the Captain up.

She felt bereft as she forced herself to step away from her spot between his legs. She could have stayed there forever.

She allowed herself a quick peek at his inflamed eye, and she could have sworn she saw the same feeling of loss reflected in his at the loss of physical contact. He cleared his throat, and launched himself into action. Ever the professional.

"Thank you Dawes, excellent job as ever. We need the med area packed up, we can head back to the FOB now."

"Yes boss"

She nodded briefly and carried on with her duties. She was a damn good medic. She had to focus on that.

She would focus.

She would not get in-fucking-volved.

::::

The entertainment offering that night did not help her to focus. All it did was reinforce the longing for him.

"When you knocked on my door, honey"

"Oooh, I gave you my key"

He winked at her as they sang cheekily to the troops.

She gave him her key indeed.

What the bloody hell was wrong with her?! Not even 4 hours ago she had sworn that she would focus and do the job she was sent here to do.

Now, a song and a cheeky wink later and her resolve was long forgotten!

:::::

When the festivities for the evening had died down and the lads had dispersed to their pits, she changed from her army fatigues into her shorts. It was still 30 degrees out there, and constantly replaying the scene from earlier in the medical tent in her head had not helped her to find any peace. She crept from her tent and headed to the only place she could be alone with her thoughts.

The roof of the shitter.

If anybody had told her 3 months ago that the godforsaken shitter would be her sanctuary she would have laughed her arse off. Now, she was just grateful to have somewhere she could think. Alone.

"Dawes"

She heard the call from the boss' tent as she crossed the compound. She didn't think twice before she turned to answer, she would never be able to resist that beautiful voice.

She wandered over to his tent, unsure of what was to come. She wished she wasn't just in a vest and shorts, she felt like his gaze would expose her thoughts. Her uniform helped to act as a barrier. She took a deep breath, and entered the tent.

James sat at his desk, papers strewn across it, looking thoughtful. He had been in the same position the night before when he handed her the lyrics for their duet and told her to "piss off Dawesy".

Like the previous night, he remained in his khaki shirt and fatigues. It took physical effort to restrain herself from trying to sit on his lap. He was perfection.

"Sir? You alright, or just recovering from my stunning input into the entertainment tonight? If so, it may take a while" she grinned cheekily.

He didn't respond to her cheeky attempt to lighten the mood, only looking thoughtful in response. "Where you off to at this hour Dawes, shouldn't you be in your pit?"

"Too hot to sleep sir, and honestly, I'm still a bit shaken up from earlier today. Too much stuff running round my 'ead, boss"

She remained standing awkwardly at the entrance to his tent, desperate to step further in and enjoy some time with her captain. She didn't want to overstep the mark though, and waited for an invitation.

"Well, come in Dawes, I can't sleep either. Too much running round my head as well."

"Like what sir?"

"Like my medic, who put herself right in front of a suicide vest today for the sake of one little girl, and terrified me half to death" he whispered gently. He looked haunted by the memory.

"Sir, she needed to stay still. She was panicking with all you lot screaming at her. If she had moved she would have been red-misted."

"And so would you Molly. What would I have done then? I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you"

He called her Molly. He had never called her Molly before. The delight of hearing her name from his lips was another nail in her coffin. She moved closer, and perched on the desk. It was closer to him, but still not close enough. A dangerous thought occurred to her and before she could quash it, she moved again, standing from where she had been perched. He watched her movement curiously.

"How's your eye, boss?"

"What?"

"Your eye. The one I treated today. It still looks red." Her bare legs stood unbearably close to him, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Molly used her hand to part his legs, making space for her body. She stepped into the narrow space she had created so that he almost straddled her. "I should have a look".

His eye was fine, they both knew that.

This was a dangerous game they were playing, but neither was able to stop the fiction which Molly had created to allow for the new-found proximity.

He cleared his throat nervously "it's uh...yeah, It's still tender Dawes. Maybe you should have a look".

She willed her legs not to wobble and betray her, then brought her fingers down to lightly touch his face. "Looks painful sir. It might be infected" she continued to caress his face, running her fingers along his chiselled cheekbones and strong chin. Her fingers itched to run through his thick hair.

He didn't even bother to try and disguise the longing in his eyes. He was beyond pretending. He was desperate to touch her back, but could find no way to stretch the credibility of their game to allow for that. His hands itched to move and reach out to her, but instead, he tried to control them by rubbing the tops of his thighs. He was losing self-control. The army man inside of him screamed at him not to touch her, _no fucking way_, that this game was far too dangerous. He didn't care, his adrenaline was surging. He needed her. They were both too far gone to take a step back.

He had known as soon as he called her name to beckon her to his quarters this evening that this moment was coming.

If he was totally honest, he knew from the moment at the beginning of the tour when she disobeyed his command to go up in that fucking winch with Smurf that he was in too deep. He had nearly lost her twice on this tour already. It was almost too much to bear. He had to show her how he felt.

Molly leaned down, bringing her lips to his injured eye and placed a sweet kiss on his eyelid, followed by light, barely-there, feather-like kisses on the surrounding area. As soon as her lips met his skin, something switched in captain James. That long-suffering army man inside of him shook his head at the complete loss of control the Captain suffered whenever Dawes was around.

The Army man was gone.

Regulations were gone.

Fuck it, he was gone.

_He was emotionally involved._

Her soft kisses on his face felt like sweet torture. He needed more. He would always need more from her. His hands found her face, his fingers running along the lips that he was desperate to kiss.

"Molly.."

He had called her Molly again. "Don't, boss, don't say it. I know it's wrong, but I need you. I can't stop.."

She couldn't believe the effect he was having on her. The feelings rushing through her body from his hands caressing her face were so intense that she didn't dare to think how much more pleasure those hands could give her. She felt a sudden rush of courage and pressed her lips to his. He was ready and waiting for her, opening his mouth in response and deepening the kiss until they both moaned into each other's mouth from the sheer pleasure. The kiss gathered pace rapidly, tongues battling for dominance. The urgency building up between them caused their hearts to race uncontrollably. The adrenaline was almost as intense as it was that afternoon when they waited for bomb control to arrive and deal with the vest. Molly felt like she might die if he were to pull away. Luckily he had no such intentions. James pulled the hem of her vest, lifting it from her body and causing her to gasp in sweet surprise.

"Fuck Molly...what are we doing?!" His mind fought a losing battle to regain control as he continued to undress her. It was a losing battle. He had to have her. His body finally conquered and he slid her shorts down her bare legs, aching to see more and feel more.

Molly was no longer subject to any such battle of heart and head. She loved this man. She loved every inch of him. Her entire body shook with need for him, and through pure nervous anticipation of what lay ahead. She pulled his shirt loose from his waist as though she had been dying of thirst, yet had found a fountain flowing with water to sustain her. She could barely even manage to break their kiss to pull the shirt free from his head. His army fatigues followed quickly after, discarded frantically by shaking hands.

James pulled Molly backwards and on to the bed in the corner of his tent. He was surprised he had the mental capability to even register where the bed was. The urgency between them was all-consuming. They had long forgotten the men in the tents surrounding them as they explored each other's bodies.

Molly was emboldened, and retrieved his hand from where it had just unclipped and discarded her bra. She pulled her soaked cotton knickers to the side and rubbed his fingers against her wet folds, drenched in her need for him. That was all the encouragement he needed.

"Fuck Molly, you're so wet for me.. So wet" He urgently slid his fingers along her wet lips. His thumb found her clitoris and massaged it firmly causing her to shudder in delight.

"Fuuuuck"

She had lost all ability to form coherent words by this point, she felt as though she was trapped in the most amazing of dreams, willing herself to never wake up. She still didn't feel complete though, and she knew why. She forced herself to form the words with her mouth. It was difficult. His panting mouth had locked firmly on to her left breast and was sucking and devouring her nipple while his fingers worked their magic. She had never felt so turned on in her whole life. She could hardly bear it any longer. She needed her release.

"No, no. Need you boss...need you inside me...oh fuuuuck" she was unable to form words coherently at this point.

His lips released her nipple with a soft pop, and he removed his fingers from her drenched walls. Although she had asked for it, she felt bereft at the loss. He watched her, panting and semi-naked on his bed, and pulled her completely soaked knickers from her body while releasing his hard-on from the boxers that were restricting him. He didn't take his eyes off her the entire time. Her body glistened from the sweat she had built up while he devoured her.

His eyes remained locked on hers while he raised his fingers to his lips. They were still covered with her juices. He licked them clean while maintaining eye contact with Molly, savouring the taste. She nearly came on the spot just watching him. Never had she enjoyed such intimacy with another human. She was under his spell, forever.

What happened next floored her. He took care to kiss every inch from her clavicle down to her belly button. Her skin was so sweet, so unlike any smell he was used to in this godforsaken desert that he felt like he was in heaven. He wanted to kiss every inch of her body. When he reached her belly button he began to move further toward her centre and she bucked away, trying frantically to bring his face up to hers, to kiss his mouth and beg him to take her. He had no intention of doing that. Not yet. His mouth centred on her pubic bone and trailed inch by inch downward, still spilling sweet kisses.

Molly was panicking now - while she had certainly slept with a few guys, never in her life had she been subject to this kind of attention. She had never been given oral sex in her life before, had never wanted it until this moment.

Her protests were stopped in their tracks when his tongue finally reached her centre and lapped roughly against her clitoris. "Fucking hell...! Oh Jesus Christ boss, do not ever stop doing that. Fuuuuuuuuck!"

His skilled tongue moved rhythmically against her core, humming and vibrating exactly where she needed it. For god knows how long, she felt like she was floating on air. She never wanted this feeling to stop. She was totally unaware of the panting and moaning that was escaping from her lips, building in intensity as the pressure from his mouth became unbearable. Finally she could take the building pressure no more. She came harder than she ever had in her life. Her legs shook uncontrollably. Molly struggled to regain any sensible thoughts as her shuddering body continued to jolt and thrash in the wake of the intense jolts of pleasure.

Her brain was given a renewed sense of purpose when James emerged from between her thighs, face damp from her pleasure, and sporting the sexiest grin she had ever had the pleasure of seeing. How the fuck did she ever get this lucky?! This man had just given her the most intense experience ever, and he looked thoroughly pleased with himself. He licked his lips in possessive pleasure.

James was indeed pleased with himself. Seeing Molly in such throes of passion had turned him on to the point that he could no longer see straight. His hard-on was becoming unbearable. He knew he had to be inside of her, and soon.

His intentions were disturbed by sounds from the compound. Him and Molly had been trapped in their own world, thinking only of each other. The real world was beginning to filter in, and he could decipher the sound of Kinders calling his name as he made his way to the bossmans tent.

"Fuck" he muttered under his breath as he jumped to his feet. Molly shot up from the bed in alarm. Both were completely naked and struggling to regain the strength to bring themselves back down to earth. They frantically pulled their clothing back on as James tried to delay Kinders' inevitable arrival in the tent.

"I'll be with you in a minute Kinders, wait out"

There was no way he could let him wander into the tent, the air was pungent with the smell of sex, and Molly looked thoroughly fucked. It would take Kinders all of five seconds to work out just what the fuck they had been up to. He willed his hard-on to disappear as soon as possible.

"Wait here Molls, I'll be back. I promise. Stop panicking". He could see the panic registering in her face. She could hardly believe what they had done, what they were about to do.

She stopped when her eyes met his, the warm puddles of brown stopping her in her tracks. He kissed her quickly for reassurance as he stepped towards the edge of the tent and called out to delay the young corporal further.

"On my way corporal" before adding with a mutter under his breath "this had better be fucking good Kinders". He was bereft at being parted from Molly.

_He was in-fucking-volved alright._

::::


	2. Chapter 2

AN - I've been so taken aback and encouraged by the lovely reviews that I decided to do a little follow up to my one shot. As I said, this is my first ever fanfic, and this kind of took me by surprise when I wrote it! I've ended up with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, which wasn't intentional, but I couldn't resist. I really really hope you all like it! I just love these characters!

::::::::

Molly nervously paced the med tent, her steps becoming increasingly frantic. Captain James had bolted from his quarters before Kinders had the chance to walk in on an extremely fired up captain and medic. He had ushered the corporal from his quarters to the ops tent when Kinders told him his presence was needed urgently by Major Beck and Captain Azzizi. Molly had listened to part of their discussions as they walked away. It was clear that Kinders had no clue what he had almost walked in on. Molly knew that if an op was being discussed, the bossman wouldn't be returning any time soon.

She fled to the relative safety of the medical tent to compose herself as soon as they were out of sight. She could hardly wander back to the communal sleeping quarters and lie in a bed stuck between Fingers and Mansfield snoring after what had just happened. Fuck! She had been battling some seriously hormonal feelings for her captain for some time now but she had way overstepped the mark this time! They both had!

Still, she couldn't bring herself to openly regret it. The encounter they had just shared was so far beyond anything she had ever experienced. Not that her past experiences were much to speak of. The best she had even had was probably Smurf, and that was a quickie behind the Indian takeaway for Christs sake! Still, she could say in Smurf's defence that he had taken the time to make sure that Molly had enjoyed the encounter, which was more than she could say for the others.

That was until now. Her thoughts raced back to the present. She was still breathless, wet and aching from her encounter with the boss. She couldn't get her nut straight, it felt like she had dreamt the whole thing. Fucking Kinders, disturbing them before she had the chance to experience everything that the boss had to offer. And she could now personally account for the fact that he had a LOT to offer. Images flooded her brain of just what he could do with his fingers. And his tongue. God!

This was getting her nowhere. She would have to stop herself from replaying this evening over in her head - it would achieve nothing other than to fire her up all over again. She ached to finish off what they had started.

"Get a grip Moll, for fuck sake" she muttered as she paced. She hoped that saying the words aloud would have more of an effect than her current hormonally charged internal ramblings.

"What's keeping you up this late Molls?" She jumped as Smurf strolled into the tent. Trust that welsh wanker to wander in when everything had gone tits up and she needed to focus.

"Nothing mate, just getting my nut straight.

Been a bit of a day, what with Bashira and that scene in the village today with the vest".

"Tell me about it, it was kicking off for a bit there. You really threw me Molls, when you charged straight up to her without your kit or your helmet. She must be special to you, to risk your neck like that for her".

Molly knew where this was headed immediately, and tried to steer the conversation to more neutral territory. She recognised the implication from him that he must also be special to her. Yes, she had also risked her neck for Smurf, but she was beginning to worry that the feelings he had developed for her went beyond the mate she saw him as. He had been doing weird little things, that she didn't feel comfortable with. Like trying to grab her hand when the music corps were playing, that was well dodgy. That was the kind of stuff that she wanted the bossman to do, not Smurf. She supposed she would have to deal with it at some point - the last thing she wanted to do was lead him on and he was a good bloke, despite his actions at the start of the tour.

"Was just doin' my job really. Yeah, she's a lovely little girl, but at the end of the day somebody needed to keep her calm with all you bellends screaming in her face and pointing guns at her. She knows me. I think she might even trust me. It's my fault she was in that position in the first place. Suppose I had to try and make up for it somehow."

"Wasn't your fault Molls, that rotten dad of hers is the only one to blame. Imagine being so fucked in the head that you would be willing to do that to one of your kids" he shivered. "Doesn't bear thinking about really, does it?".

"Its fucked up. Everything about this place is fucked up though innit? I wish I could do something about it, but I feel so helpless. Everything is just out of control". She couldn't help but bite back a tear. She was feeling overwhelmed as it was, and thinking about Bashira wasn't helping. Her thoughts went back to the only other person who consumed them. She wondered just what the fuck she was going to say and do when she saw the bossman next. This whole situation was out of control, just like afghan.

:::::::::::::::::

Captain James stood, hands on his hips in the ops tent with Major Beck, Captain Azzizi, Kinders and Qaseem. He was trying his utmost to focus on the intelligence laid out on the desk before them: a group of insurgents linked to Bashira's father had been identified and the group were formulating a plan on the best course to proceed.

He had to focus on his job. He had to put his feelings to one side and be the soldier, and the captain that he had always been. Who the fuck was that person who had just spread Dawes out over the bed in his quarters and done exactly what he had wanted to do from the minute he laid eyes on her?! What the fuck had just happened? If Kinders hadn't nearly walked in he knew exactly what he would have proceeded to do. His groin tightened instantly at the thought. For fucks sake James, get a grip!

He was in this situation up to his eyes, and could see no clear path in front of him. For the first time in his army life, he had no clear orders to follow, and it terrified the shit out of him. In any other situation, he could reason with himself and formulate a plan. With Dawes, he couldn't trust himself to think straight.

He had long known that he had feelings for Molly. Christ, how could he not have feelings for her? She was the most amazing woman, and soldier, he had ever had the good fortune to deal with. He felt so free and natural with her, something he hadn't experienced with anybody until now. But despite his growing attraction, he had convinced himself that he could wait out, that this was something he could deal with when the tour was over. That wasn't an option now. He had opened the floodgates with his actions that evening, all he wanted from Molly was more. He wanted to feel every inch of her, discover all of her secrets.

And therein lay his biggest problem - secrets. Rebecca and Sam. As far as he knew, Molly had no clue that he had a wife (well, ex-wife by now) and more importantly, a 7 year old son waiting for his return from tour. He hadn't lied to her, but was acutely aware that the omission was almost as bad as an outright lie. If he had any intention of any kind of relationship with Molly then he would have to tell her before she found out from one of the lads. The fact that he had been married was no secret, but these things weren't really discussed on tour. He wasn't sure if anyone even knew he was in the process of getting a divorce. Best to keep wives, girlfriends and kids locked away in the mind so that any feelings could be compartmentalised. That was the Army way.

The failure to buy into that was part of what was so refreshing about Molly. She was so open about her home life, all of her siblings and her feckless father, that James almost felt like he knew them personally. He knew she wouldn't take the revelation about Sam (or Rebecca) well, and that the sooner he told her, the better. The only reason he had avoided it so far was because he had convinced himself that he could wait out and avoid anything happening between them. That obviously hadn't panned out well! They needed to have a conversation, one which he wasn't looking forward to one bit.

But before he did any of that, he would have to calm her down. He knew she would be panicking right now, and holding herself responsible for what happened. He had to focus on this briefing, if only to get it over with, then find Molly.

"Are you with us Captain?" enquired Major Beck bemusedly. James was one of the best COs he had worked with, and he could honestly say that this was the first time he had seen him lack the 100% focus he usually maintained.

"Apologies Major, long day catching up with me. I will brief 2 section at 0800 hours on the mission."

"Appreciated Captain. As you say, it's been a hellish day, even for Afghan. I'll let you all hit your pits for now." The major dismissed the men and walked stiffly from the intelligence gathering.

:::::::::::::::::::

Captain James strode from the ops tent with a purposeful stride, having made sure that Azzizi, Qaseem and Kinders had left before him. He knew that Molly would no longer be in his quarters. She wouldn't take the chance that somebody might come looking for him and find her there. Instead, he headed straight for the med tent. It was further outside of the compound and would have given her the space that she needed. It was beyond late now. He glanced at his watch. 0230 hours. The FOB was in its most peaceful state, with only the watch towers populated with lone soldiers carrying out their duties. All of the others would have hit their pits hours ago. James wasn't even tired, adrenaline still coursing through his body. He unzipped the entrance to the tent. Molly only ever closed the entrance when she needed space to think and didn't want the masses pestering her for sun cream and a plaster. Nevertheless, he proceeded.

She lay on the makeshift bed, fast asleep, hair splayed out around her head, and still in her vest and shorts from their earlier encounter. His cock twitched at the thought. "For fucks sake, control yourself" he muttered.

He leaned down and caressed her beautiful face while she slept. She seemed peaceful, and he was reluctant to disturb her. For just a second, he acted without thinking, and crept onto the single bed beside her, spooning her tiny frame. He breathed in the scent from her hair as she lay in his arms. It was so unusual in this place to smell anything other than grime, dust or sweat. She was a breath of fresh air, in more ways than one. She snuggled further in to his hold.

"Surely behaviour like this could get you up on a charge sir, never had you down as a hair sniffer..." she whispered the words, eyes still closed from her slumber.

He tried to contain his breathy laughter as he squeezed her tighter.

"Don't think hair sniffing will get me there, although some of my other actions from tonight could probably have me up on a charge, Dawes, you're correct".

Molly was half asleep, and feeling playful

"and what would those actions be then sir".

"Oh you know. Unacceptable behaviour with a member of my platoon. Murdering an elton john classic..." He laughed. It was a beautiful sound.

"Joker" muttered Molly as she stretched on the bed.

Her vest top rode up when she stretched, exposing her stomach. He noticed an angry red mark under her left breast from his attentions earlier. Christ, they had really gone for it. He lingered over the mark with his fingers, rubbing very gently.

Flashbacks of pulling the same top from her body and feasting on her filled his mind. He lifted the top further. She wasn't wearing a bra. He hoped to himself absentmindedly that it wasn't still lying on the floor in his quarters. The lads would have a field day with that.

He stopped and admired her bare breasts as he began to tease them with his fingers. Although he was a soldier, there wasn't a roughness to his fingers, they were soft. There was only a flicker of moonlight inching into the tent. It was a beautiful moment, as he gently teased her nipples, rubbing slowly around them. Molly had to squeeze her legs together as she felt a surge of wetness pool between her thighs. She stretched again, the tension becoming unbearable.

For the second time in a few hours, he was done for, and he knew it. His need for her was palpable, it was as natural as thirst or hunger. Not doing this would be as catastrophic to his body as failing to drink or eat.

Molly shifted her head around to face him. She had to look at him. She felt the previously jokey atmosphere change in an instant. Pure lust filled his eyes. Joke time was over.

Her doubts and worries from earlier in the evening yet again fell away when he looked at her. God, he was so beautiful. From the first instant she saw him she had obviously known that he looked good, that much was undeniable.

But the way he was looking at her now, full of pure desire and need. His eyes felt like they were burning through her. She watched as he cleared his throat and bit his bottom lip in anticipation. My god, just him biting his lip did things to her insides that terrified her!

He turned her head back round, stroking her hair tenderly. He whispered imperceptibly in her ear "I can still taste you". His voice was loaded with want, she could practically hear the need dripping from his deep tones.

Fuck.

A bite of the lip followed by 5 dirty words, and she was gone.

"Boss.."

She could feel his hard on as it dug into her back. She recognised there was no going back from this, but there was no stopping what they had both started. Her top remained around her neck, still exposing her bare breasts, and as she moved to yank it off, the boss pulled her shorts and knickers off in one quick move. There was no delay for niceties, just a need to have her naked and ready as quickly as possible. This was a raw need for both of them.

She felt a sob catch in her throat as she noted he was still fully clothed. She pulled at his top and combats as though she was possessed. When she looked back on this later she could only wonder what kind of force possessed her. In any case, her mission was clear. She needed him naked. Quickly. Before any fuckwit like Kinders had the chance to disturb them again.

When her objective had been achieved, Molly took only a moment to pause and look at the man laid out in front of her. She stood briefly, admiring the view. He was so fucking perfect, she almost cried. All long limbs, slender hips and tan. Not too much muscle, just strong and perfectly built. She tried not to grin as she took in the perfection before her.

"I don't know what the fuck you're smirking at Dawes, get back down here. Now" he growled, as he pulled her back under him on the bed and began to devour her body with scorching kisses. They were all over the place, like he couldn't make his mind up where he wanted to go next.

"Going to start off where you finished last time boss?" she enquired. God only knows where she found the sass for that comment, but the smirk was quickly wiped from her mouth when she felt him grasp the back of both of her thighs and pull her towards him. He clearly meant business, and she gasped with need.

"What was that Dawes?" He enquired, as he ventured slowly towards her clitoris with his fingers. He used his other hand to hold her wrists above her head, preventing her from moving. Her heart felt like a shuddering train wreck that might be brought to a halt if he ever stopped touching her. "N..nothing sir" she somehow managed to whisper.

"Please boss. Need you..." She was having trouble formulating words, never mind sentences.

Luckily for her, the boss was having a similar issue in terms of being able to wait out. After the foreplay from earlier that evening, he didn't think he could last much longer without feeling himself inside Molly.

He guided himself towards her core, making sure that he gently eased himself in. The slow passage was the sweetest torture either had ever felt, as he slowly filled her. He felt a low growl escape his throat at the sheer bliss of it all. She was so tight and wet that he had to focus on something else so that he didn't embarrass himself and come on the spot. Alphabet backwards, that ought to do it.

Molly felt like she had died and gone to heaven.

The bossman had made sure that he eased himself in so slowly that her walls had accustomed to him immediately. He was perfectly still as he lay on top of her, eyes staring at each other, and for a moment she felt totally at peace and complete. The blissful moment ended when she felt him move from her, just the tiniest of thrusts. She hated the feeling of loss and immediately pulled his hips back into her possessively.

"Easy Dawes, what you trying to do to me?!" He groaned as he tried to thrust again slowly.

Molly was having none of it and pulled him towards her yet again. She needed this. Suddenly, they matched each other, thrust for thrust, as their bodies moved in a perfect rhythm. She bit back a sob at just how perfect it felt.

Every single time he filled her she felt like she was floating on air. Her legs were splayed so wide that he was filling her to her depth, butterflies gathering in her lower stomach as she felt her g spot erupt. It was bliss.

Then he took her by surprise as he kissed her possessively, all the while pounding in and out of her. In their rush, they had barely even kissed, such was their need to be inside of each other. Their thrusts were becoming ever more frantic as he pushed her to her limit. Her fingers marked deep trails down his back as she plead for him to go faster, deeper. She couldn't take any more, yet more was all she wanted. It was almost too intense.

She knew he was about to come before it even registered in his brain. The lowest of growls came from his throat as he thrust faster and harder, his strength holding him throughout.

"Fuck. Molly..."

She could feel herself tense as she watched his dark eyes boring into her. She was taken by surprise as he touched her in exactly the right spot deep inside. Waves of pleasure began to course through her body, like little ripples of joy erupting. The force of her orgasm clenched her walls abruptly round James, finishing him off. As he gasped in shock from the sensation, he came, a low deep rumbling groan escaping from him as he released. They were utterly lost in the bliss of it all, as he continued to bury himself inside of her.

Molly lay trembling and panting, taken by surprise by the enormity of the orgasm that had taken hold of her. This was something on a different scale to what she had ever experienced before. Waves of pleasure continued to course through her body. Even her face felt numb, as the blood returned to her head. The boss still hadn't uttered a word since he had growled her name as he came. She felt him tense as he lifted his head and looked at her.

The grim look on his face took her by surprise, although not as much as his words did.

"I have a son"

::::::::::::::::::::..


	3. Chapter 3

"You what?!" It was a whisper. She needed confirmation that she hadn't misunderstood. She wanted him to tell her something that would stop the plummeting in her stomach. She felt like she had taken a punch.

"I have a son" he repeated. The first time he had made the admission, he had been overcome by a sense of clarity, that he needed to be 100% honest. That sense of clarity was deteriorating rapidly as her silence continued.

She stared at him, wide eyed and incredulous.

"And you thought you would tell me this now? Right now, when we've just...? What the actual fuck...?" Molly was struggling to find her bearings, her body still shaking from the passionate encounter that had come to an abrupt end with his admission. As her senses began to kick in, she struggled out of his hold. Her fight or flight response was willing her to get the fuck away from this conversation now.

She battled her physical response and tried to reason with herself. Captain James could see the struggle in her eyes. He couldn't stand the thought that he had ruined things between them. His intention had been to come here and tell her the whole truth. He had made a mistake and allowed his physical need for her to take control before he had the chance to lay out the full truth. Their need for each other had taken priority. As she lay in his arms not 2 minutes ago, he had felt an unbearable guilt take hold of him, hence the spectacularly badly timed admission.

"Molly, please don't run away from this, from me. I came here tonight to explain..." She was continuing to struggle from his hold, and he let go of her.

"Ok. Then explain! Oh, don't tell me, you've got a secret wife hidden away as well as a secret son?!" She had thrown the accusation out there to emphasise the ridiculousness of this whole conversation. One look at his crestfallen face told her that it wasn't so ridiculous after all.

"Oh shit, you have, haven't you?" She couldn't quite take it in, still trembling with surprise and rage, both at the timing of the revelation as well as the content.

"She's not my wife. We've split up. We're in the middle of a divorce. I'm waiting on the final papers coming through any day now." He could barely look her in the eye, but somehow managed to maintain some composure. "We have a son. He's 7 years old. Sam. He's a part of my life."

Molly shook. The need to run overwhelmed her. She pulled away from him and dressed frantically. She had to protect herself from this situation.

"Molly, please.." he pulled his own clothes back on as he pleaded with her to calm down. She was about to run, and he didn't know if he could stop her.

"You lied to me"

"Not once". He cringed at his response as it came out of his mouth. Ok, technically he hadn't lied, but he should have come clean before he had allowed himself to get this involved. He could sense that things were going downhill fast here. He could only liken it to entering into a mission on the field and seeing it go tits up in front of his eyes. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't improve matters.

"Well you were very fucking economical with the truth then!"

"Molly. I came here tonight to tell you. When I called you into my quarters earlier this evening, I was going to tell you, but.."

"But?! But you had to wait till after you got a cheap thrill out of me first? I really thought you were different Boss, but you're just like all them other tossers deep down, ain't you?". She knew it was a low blow, but she was hurting, and wanted him to feel as cheap as she did in this moment.

"It's not like that between us Molly, and you know it! Do you seriously think that I would risk my job and put my duty of care towards this whole platoon in jeopardy for some quick fuck?!" His voice rose as he spoke. He was angry now, she had likened what they had just shared to some fling for him. They both knew that would never be the case. He had fallen hard for her, to an extent that both terrified and exhilarated him.

She stood, frozen by his passionate response.

"I asked you a question Molly. Don't you know how much I care for you? Isn't it obvious from what happened tonight that this is so much more than a cheap thrill to me?! All I want is to make you happy!"

"Well you fucked up. Big time"

Molly could feel herself shutting down. The events of the whole evening had been too much. Tears shone in her eyes as she looked at the boss and rose to her feet.

"Don't follow me". A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she walked away from the man she loved.

::::::::

He watched as she made her way towards the privates' quarters. The other lads were asleep in there, and he couldn't take the chance of following her and continuing their argument. She disappeared into the tent, leaving Captain James with only his thoughts.

Not only had he gotten involved, he had managed to fuck the whole thing up. She hated him, and he hated himself for causing it. He sighed, running his hands through the thick curls on his head, something he always did when feeling particularly stressed.

:::::::::::::::::::

The days and weeks that followed were not remotely enjoyable for either of them. After the explosive events of that night, both Private and Captain managed to present composed exteriors to their colleagues but there was no internal calm to be found.

Both went about their duties in a professional manner. Patrols were covered, orders were followed to the letter, and Molly found that the contents of the med tent had never been so meticulously organised and clean. Unlike her head, which still swam with memories of that night. When she did need to have any dialogue with the Boss, it was short, swift and to the point. There was very little banter, and no lingering visits to the med tent to have his blisters checked and treated.

All that existed was a thinly veiled tension whenever the two came into contact. If Molly had thought things were tense before they gave into their feelings, it was a hundred times worse now. She missed the Boss desperately. At night, all she could imagine was being wrapped up in his arms. She could barely even sleep, as her dreams were punctuated with steamy memories of their time together. Those dreams were doing nothing to help her fragile state of mind. As a result, she tried to avoid him as studiously as she could. Being in close proximity to him was the most difficult, therefore avoidance was her coping strategy of choice.

The worst part was the PT sessions. He had joined every session since the argument, making them tougher and more demanding each time. The section were the fittest they had ever been, and it was all due to their Captain and his increasing frustration. A 5k run every morning, and the same every evening was interspersed with various different assault courses and exercises, together with hours in the gym. They were all being pushed to the limit physically. Those physical efforts combined with an inability to sleep, had left Molly in a bad way. Every PT session she had to endure the sight of the boss in his workout gear, his increasingly strong body glistening with sweat. It wasn't helping.

Even the other lads had picked up on the fact that all wasn't well between their captain and medic. Smurf was the closest to Molly, and had questioned her on several occasions on what had happened between them to end their friendly banter. The others were curious, but kept out of it. Whatever had gone on, they wanted no part of it. Captain James was the boss, end of.

It didn't stop them from taking the piss about her falling out of favour with the Bossman though, and it was beginning to irritate her no end.

::::::::::

Christmas was fast approaching in the FOB. For many of the Under-Fives, they were not only about to have their first Christmas Day on active service, but also their first away from their families. In the run up to the festive period, there had been very little in the way of action, with the exception of one attempted raid on the insurgent cell linked to Bashira's father, Badrai. The raid had ultimately ended in failure - the intelligence gathering process had evidently been provided with false information in order to destabilise the British and ANA forces.

Although the immediate threat had lessened somewhat, there were still patrols to be made. Captain James had gotten into the habit of completing the early morning perimeter patrol with Fingers, Dangles and Kinders. There was no longer a need to drag Dawes out on every patrol with them, although if he had thought it would make the slightest bit of difference to the icy atmosphere between them, he would have tried.

The group of 4 were carrying out their usual tour of the FOBs perimeter to check for anything out of the ordinary. It was a "proper pissing hot morning" as Fingers observed, even by Afghan standards. Even the wind blowing up the sand into their eyes was hot, with no relief from the glaring sun.

At the same time, Molly was safely inside the compound eating her first meal of the day. A bowl of coco-pops, with lukewarm milk wouldn't usually get her hugely excited, but her mum had sent a box over in the care package which had arrived last night - it had been enough to raise a little chuckle from her. She had always enjoyed them when she was younger.

She sat in the shade of the mess tent and enjoyed her breakfast. Her mind wandered, as it always did when unoccupied, to the Boss. He had been trying to get her to open up to him, leaving little notes under her pillow for her to find. The last had contained only 6 words, but had been enough to make her heart race.

"I miss you. Please forgive me?"

He had lovely handwriting, she had mused, as she held the note in her hand. She was desperate to do just as the note had asked. She was no longer angry about the way in which he told her his secret. She couldn't be angry with him for having a past, no matter how hard she tried. However, in the wake of the news, all of the feelings which she had tried to push back in her head about them had come rushing back like a poisonous wave. They taunted her.

He was married. She could imagine it now, a perfect church wedding, where he whisked an equally gorgeous, clever, perfect woman down the aisle. Posh cars, beautiful reception. And then a little son to follow. It was what he was made for, a blessed life.

Life wasn't like that for Molly. In her neighbourhood, perfection didn't even remotely exist. You learnt early that if you didn't fight, you didn't get. Avoid the dog shit on the ground, keep your head down, and get on with it. She wasn't ashamed of her upbringing, but it was a universe away from where he had come from. It could never work between them. No matter how much she loved him.

:::::

Molly was broken out of her reverie by the sound of 5 clear gunshots from the perimeter of the FOB. Fuck! She hit the deck, training kicking in. She spotted Qaseem from the corner of her eye, rushing to the watchtower. He had his radio headset on and frantically shouted down the receiver.

Molly stood and bolted after Qaseem. He was interpreting radio communications from outside the compound to the morning patrol. Molly's blood ran cold despite the extreme heat of her surroundings as it clicked who was on that patrol.

The boss was out there, under fire.

Shots rang out from the watchtower as the guards tried to take out the insurgents firing at the morning patrol. Molly was taken back to that first day at the FOB, where contact had been made on one of their first walks outside of the compound. Smurf had saved her arse when she froze.

They would need a medic out there, was her next thought. She ran as fast as she could to the Privates' quarters and pulled her kit on in minutes. As she returned to the FOB entrance, it was being held open by Qaseem. The shots had ceased, and the Bossman entered gingerly, being supported by Kinders as he walked. Fingers and Dangles followed on, heads bowed.

"Kinders, I told you - get the fuck off me. It's a graze, I can walk." Captain James struggled as he was pulled along.

"Sorry Boss, but I'm taking you in. You fucking terrified the shit out of me there Sir. Thought you were a gonner."

Molly couldn't speak. The relief of seeing him venture through those gates was unreal, but his shoulder was covered in blood, and he looked as though he was in agony. She rushed to the men.

Smurf also ran to the scene from behind her. "What the fuck happened?"

"Contact on the morning patrol. Boss broke cover to pull Fingers down. Bullet flew over his shoulder but there's been contact. It looks pretty nasty Dawes."

"Get him to the med tent. I'll assess him and figure out whether he needs to go to Bastion for treatment."

"No fucking way Dawes. You're treating me here, I am going nowhere near Bastion." He spluttered as Kinders took him to the tent.

She sighed as she followed the pair to the tent. Her avoidance plan was clearly about to be tested.

:::::::::::::::

It was being tested alright. The first problem was that he had to be shirtless for her to examine him. She supposed it was against all sorts of ethical boundaries for her to be perving on a patient who had just been injured, but what was one more barrier to burst open?

He winced as she cleaned the injury with saline. It was difficult for both not to cast their minds back to the eye drop incident which had led to that amazing night a few weeks ago. Well, amazing up until the point that he had destroyed it all with an ill-timed admission of the truth.

The bullet had scraped his shoulder as it flew past him, causing a nasty wound. "Lady Luck on your side again Sir" she mused. "Any further down and you would have taken a bullet". The events of the morning were dawning on her after the adrenaline surge, and she was close to tears thinking of just how close a call it had been.

Although it pained him to do so, he reached with his arm and stilled Molly's hand on his shoulder. When she felt the touch of his hand on hers she gasped. There had been no physical contact between them for weeks. He rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb. It was a simple gesture, but enough to make her heart race. Her mind flashed with memories from this very tent. Steamy memories, that made her blush and avert her gaze from his dark eyes.

Unfortunately for Molly, her gaze was averted to his strong torso. She badly wanted to run her free hand along the defined muscles on his stomach. There was a fine trail of hair around his belly button that led lower and lower. She knew exactly where it finished, and licked her lips at the memory of it.

Being in such close proximity was having no less of an effect on Captain James. He knew however, that this time he had to concentrate on delivering his message to Molly. He couldn't let his physical needs get in the way this time. No matter how gorgeously vulnerable she looked. It was a struggle, but he forced himself to focus up and let go of her hand gently.

She snapped back to reality and began to resume her treatment of the wound.

"This will need quite a few stitches boss.." She started to gabble about his injury.

He stopped her in her tracks again, but this time with his words.

"When those shots rang out.." He wanted to explain, but was struggling to compose himself.

"Frightened the life out of me."

"Exactly. I turned around, and pulled Fingers out of harms way. But Molly, all I could think of was you. I want you to be the last thing I see."

They held each other's gaze again. All she could see was hope and truth in his eyes. In that moment, she could feel hope resurge in her chest for them. Maybe all wasn't lost after all. But the doubts still nagged away in her head. "You're not good enough for him" they whispered. Her face fell, and he misread the pain in her eyes.

"You don't feel the same?"

"You know that ain't it boss. It's just that we're from different worlds. Back in the real world, a bloke like you wouldn't look at someone like me twice and you know it"

He wasn't surprised to hear her doubts. He knew deep down that this would be one of the major barriers in Molly's mind. He just didn't see it like that though. If his army career had taught him nothing else, it was that a persons upbringing and history made no difference to his attitude to them. His regard for a person was affected by their attitude and actions, not their class or status in life. He paused, considering how to deal with this conversation. He didn't want to scare Molly away, but felt that the only way to get past this was to confess to the depth of his feelings for her.

In the meantime, Molly's thoughts had drifted back to the initial source of the tension between them - Rebecca and Sam. She wanted to know more.

"I bet she's perfect. Straight out of finishing school, pearls round her neck and all"

James bit back a laugh. The description was fairly apt after all.

"That was part of the problem Molly. I don't do perfect, there's no such thing." In Rebecca's eyes, everything had to be perfect. I don't work like that. In the end, we barely tolerated each other until she cracked first and walked out."

She had paused, looking pensive. He could honestly say that he had no idea how this was going to go.

"I don't want to change you Molly, nor do I want you to change me. Are you seriously telling me that even though we started off in different places, we can't end up at the same destination?" She looked up into his eyes as he continued to speak.

"All I want you to do Molly, is take my hand and come with me. We can end up in the same place, together, regardless of where we came from." Tears shone in his eyes, and she didn't think it was because of his injury.

"I love you". It was a confession, and he felt free as the words escaped his lips.

Molly had needed the reassurance. She needed confirmation that her doubts could be overcome. Molly felt the same way she did when she decided to ignore her family's attitude and join the army - exhilarated. The army had given her a chance, and this was another chance for her to find happiness.

"I'm with you" she whispered. "I already told you weeks ago, I'm 100% by your side, and I meant it".

He grinned in disbelief.

"You were right Molly. Lady Luck is on my side again. I'm the luckiest man on the planet right now."

:::::::::

AN - ok, no smut in this one! I wanted to write it, but they needed to talk instead of doing anything else! I feel like this is a fairly natural conclusion to the story, although I do have an idea brewing for either a follow up chapter or a new one shot. I am so very grateful to anyone who has left a review for this story - I am very new to this, and you have all encouraged me greatly! Thanks so much again.


	4. Chapter 4

So this is the first part of chapter 4 - my plan had been to complete the whole thing and then post, but thought you all deserved a bit of smut after the last tame chapter! Merry Christmas everyone! :-)

:::::

She moaned frantically as his hands caressed her naked body. His touch felt electric as his skilled fingers travelled towards her centre, finding the source of her wetness. At last, his fingers found their destination and she almost screamed with relief. Oh god, it was so good to be with him.

As he inched two fingers inside of her, his thumb gently rubbed her clitoris. It was so sensitive that she shuddered on the spot and felt her wetness increase by the second

"Fuuuuuck"

:::::::

Suddenly, Molly jolted awake as a snore rumbled through the tent. She turned her head to the left and rather than the sight of her lover, her first view for the morning was Mansfield, his mouth hanging wide open, and dribbling as he snored as loud as humanly possible.

Oh for fuck's sake!

Daylight was only just beginning to creep in the tent. She had been dreaming about the Bossman, yet again. It was driving her demented. As much as she grudged Mansfield for dragging her from her dream, thank Christ he had. Her hands were nestled underneath the waistband of her soaked knickers. God only knows what would have happened if her lusty dream had continued and the lads had woken before her.

It had been a week since the Bossman had the close call on morning patrol. A week since he and Molly had cleared the air. A long week of secret looks and longing for each other. They had been desperate to spend time alone together, but the only feasible time had been during his visits to the med tent to have his wound cleaned and re-dressed. As much as Molly was enjoying her daily view of a very shirtless Captain James, it was driving her to distraction. And fuelling all sorts of dreams that she needed to stop.

Yesterday had been the worst. Kinders had hung about during the boss' visit to the tent to chat about the plans for Christmas Day at the FOB. The boss had sensed her discomfort and decided to have some fun, the piss-taking bastard. She hadn't even had to ask him on his arrival to remove his shirt, it had been whipped off as he walked in the tent. His combats hung low from his hips, so low that she had to force herself to focus up. He had stood so close that she could smell his clean scent. It was almost painful how much she wanted to jump him right now. She somehow sensed that Kinders wouldn't react to well to that, so she worked as hard as she could to detach and focus on the Boss' shoulder while they spoke.

When Kinders had excused himself for a brief minute and stuck his head out the tent to bark an order at Brains and Dangles to stop pissing about with balloons, the boss had taken his opportunity and inched his hand up below her vest. He had been craving the touch of her bare skin, it was driving him crazy. As he heard Kinders continue to reprimand the lads, he knew he had another minute and continued his journey upwards. His hand found the soft lace that encased her breasts and pulled gently at her right nipple, eliciting the softest of moans from her mouth.

"Nice bra Dawesy" he whispered in her ear as he continued to fondle her.

She was genuinely lost for coherent words, and only moaned quietly in response, biting her lip in a mixture of sheer anxiety and pleasure. The moan quickly turned into an internal groan as he swiftly removed his hand and cleared his throat, signalling Kinders' reemergence to the tent.

"Sorry about that Boss, where were we?" Kinders enquired as he rejoined the pair. Molly cared for all of her comrades in her section like brothers, and would take a bullet for any one of them, but right now she could happily have kneed Kinders square in the bollocks and enjoyed it.

"Christmas, Kinders" his voice was low and husky as he fought to suppress his rising lust. "I do believe that the entertainment this year is being squared off by you and Dangles. And make no mistake, we will be expecting something special to watch after our three course slap up meal!" Kinders looked as though he would rather take a bullet than provide the entertainment, but looked towards the ground and nodded regardless. "Lovely!" The boss clapped his hands together at the thought of a plan coming together. He was keenly aware that the lads weren't looking forward to Christmas one bit since they would rather be at home with their loved ones. He would do everything he could to ensure it went off smoothly.

He had ensured that gifts were en route from the families of each and every soldier in the FOB. They would be delivered to Captain James on Christmas Eve and dispersed by him the following morning. A slap up Christmas meal and pudding was being delivered to the base by helicopter and, in keeping with army tradition, would be served to the squaddies by himself, as the most senior officer currently at the base. Rather than relying on Kinders and Dangles offering for entertainment alone, he had also organised a follow up visit from the army music corps. It was all coming together nicely.

:::::::

Christmas morning had finally arrived, and Molly, awoken from her latest torturous dream had decided to at least get up before the lads and make a cuppa before the rest of the lads woke up. It was still dawn. She loved this time of day in Afghan.

As she crossed the compound, her eyes were drawn to movement within the Boss' tent. She crept over and peeked in, creasing herself laughing when she realised what he was up to. He had pulled on a pair of red Santa trousers and a hat adorned his head while he struggled to pull on the top half of the costume. He caught her giggling at the entrance to his quarters.

"For fucks sake Dawes, you're not meant to catch Santa in the act!"

He gave up trying to pull on the top half of the bloody costume and beckoned her to him. "You are allowed to sit on his lap though..!"

"Oh I dunno boss. I definitely ain't been a good girl this year.." She was feeling mischievous and as she perched on his lap, she whispered in his ear just what she would like as a Christmas treat.

He was done for. His hard-on strained through the cloth of the cheap suit as it pressed against her, begging for attention. No sooner had she felt him pressing against her when he pulled her roughly round on his lap to face him. They kissed hard and forcefully, moaning hard into each other's mouth.

"We don't have much time". His face was contorted as he fought to free himself from the godforsaken suit whilst still kissing her with a force that almost paralysed them both. Finally, he had pulled the trousers from his body, leaving him naked and desperate for her to be in a similar state.

"Just as well I don't mind a quickie then, eh?" She pulled her T-shirt from her head, revealing her bare breasts.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Molly" he uttered as he buried his face in her chest, sucking and kissing like a man deprived of such delights for a long time. He swirled his tongue round her nipples one last time before he stood them both up from the chair and pulled her trousers to the floor, leaving only her lacy knickers behind.

Before she had even had a chance to think about it, his hands delved inside the lacy scrap. One hand reached her soaked thighs, whilst the other ripped the lace from her body with one tug. He meant business alright.

His fingers were inside her before she had a chance to draw breath, curling and causing ripples of pleasure to flow through her body. They were both close to the edge through the tension of the situation - they had to be quick if they didn't want to get caught.

He could feel her breaths shortening as she came closer to the edge. His slick fingers abruptly withdrew from her walls and she nearly wept from the injustice of it all.

Her fury quickly paled as he edged her closer to the bed. "Kneel on the bed Molly" he instructed in his most authoritative captain voice. He could have been back on the tarmac at Brize Norton right now. He was in complete command of her.

She did as instructed and bent her knees as he stood behind her, hands gripping her hips as he eased himself into her. As he began to thrust, she cried out in pleasure. Her breathing stopped momentarily while the feeling of him inside of her shook through her body.

He slid in and out of her at an agonisingly slow pace. She bit down to hold back her frustrated cry. She was so wet, so tight, she felt so good that he wanted to prolong the moment and enjoy it for as long as he could. She thrust her backside back hoping to create some much needed friction.

Finally, his pace quickened and each thrust became deeper than the last. He stretched Molly's arms out in front of her. Grabbing on to her wrist, Captain James pinned her down on the mattress and slammed his hips into her harder. Her hands gripped the sheets as he kept pushing in deeper and deeper, rolling his hips in at an angle until he filled her to her very core.

Timing his strokes just right, the boss ensured that they experienced their orgasm at the same time. He whispered her name in her ear, his seductive deep voice; like honey, encouraging her to let go and come. "Let go." He whispered, biting down on her ear. "Come for me."

A spark flashed between them and for a second the world stopped. Joined together they froze and let the moment take over.

They remained connected until their breathing slowed, their bodies cooled, and they contained enough energy to move.

"Merry Christmas Dawes"

:::::::


	5. Chapter 5

Part 2 of chapter 4 below. Have had a couple of messages to let me know that people didn't see part 1 - if you didn't then please go back to the previous chapter. I am so enjoying writing this, it is fairly addictive! Your kind reviews are giving me so so much encouragement to continue so please do let me know what you think - I would love feedback. Hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas Day! Please enjoy the update :-))

:::::::

Captain James mused over the soldiers coming and going around the FOB as he watched them prepare for the Christmas meal they were about to sit down to.

The day had gone to plan so far, with all of the privates delighted to receive gifts from their families at home. He bit back a laugh as he recalled Fingers whooping with delight as he received a giant tub of Marmite from his mum, whilst Mansfield lounged around in his new Derby County away top.

The boss had also received a parcel from home - his mum had carefully wrapped a couple of books that she knew he would like, together with a drawing from Sam. He had drawn himself and his Daddy standing with Santa. There was a note at the bottom saying "I love Daddy" in an adorable childish scrawl. His mum had also enclosed a note to let him know how the family were doing. She mentioned that Rebecca had agreed to let Sam spend Boxing Day with his grandparents in Bath. That house was magical at Christmas, and he tried not to let a sense of melancholy take hold of him as he thought of just what he was missing out on by being here.

He missed Sam with a ferocity that took the breath from him at times. He could lock it away for days at a time, and then all of a sudden the depth of his feelings would strike him with force. He hoped that on his return from tour that things would be more settled with Rebecca - that they could come to some sort of civil arrangement on visitation. It hadn't been a particularly acrimonious split, but that didn't make it any easier when it came to reaching agreement on Sam. They had met at Uni and married young. Rebecca had fallen pregnant when they were 22, and had just graduated: hardly teenagers, but young enough for them to marry in haste, as an idealistic dream.

There had long been a silent acknowledgement from both him and Rebecca that the marriage was failing, but they tried their hardest to stay as together as a unit for the sake of Sam. When Rebecca had been the first to crack, it hadn't come as a surprise. Captain James had been due to return from his second tour, and she could no longer bear to wait out for the sake of Sam. He had been secretly relieved when he returned from Afghanistan to an empty house. Before he had left for the tour, the atmosphere had been beyond strained. They hadn't shared a bed for over a year, and effectively operated as co-parents living in the same house rather than husband and wife.

He wondered now, just how they had managed to drag out a dead marriage for so long, particularly now that he had experienced such depth of feelings for another woman. In his eyes Molly was his absolute equal in all ways that mattered. Despite the obvious differences in upbringing, they laughed at the same things, and had a similar outlook on life. She could floor him with her courage and her sharp wit, not to mention the speed of her barbs when she rinsed the other lads out. She had demonstrated an ability both to make him unbelievably proud and infuriated in equal measures. Infact, she drove him bloody insane most of the time, but he loved every single second of it. Coming from the emotional wasteland of a marriage that he had just exited, he appreciated having the opportunity to feel such raw emotion for another person. The only other person who could hold a candle to Molly in his heart was Sam. The day he realised that was the day he realised he was in trouble. Molly Dawes had his heart under lock and key.

His mind wandered to their encounter that morning in his quarters. It had been quick and desperate. It demonstrated just the way that his feelings for Molly had taken hold of him. He bit his lip as he recalled taking hold of her hips from behind as he pounded in to her that very morning. It had been incredible, just as mind blowing as their previous encounter. He was desperate for more. Sex for him had almost always been restrained, almost polite. Everything changed with Molly. There was an honesty, no embarrassment or nerves. They could simply be together without reserve.

His thoughts were interrupted as Smurf wandered to his side.

"Alright boss? You look a million miles away."

He tried to clear his head of inappropriate thoughts, shaking it as though it may wipe his brain of the glorious memories from that morning. "I'm fine Smurf, just thinking how I'm going to bear the indignity of serving you cockwombles lunch this afternoon."

"Sure you'll manage that one no problem Sir! I used to be a barman for a bit back in Newport. Bit of charm is all it takes, and you got that by the bucketful, don't you boss."

"Well, thanks Smurf, I'll bear that in mind. Not sure how tough the Newport masses would be to please in comparison with you tossers though." He let out a low chuckle as he imagined the rinsing he would no doubt be subjected to. It was all part of the fun, and would help the lads to try and forget about spending Christmas away from home. There was an air of sadness which always emanated from a group of squaddies spending Christmas Day thousands of miles from their families, and he would do what he could to quash that.

"Tougher than you think, boss. Although the Newport women used to be pleased just to get a cheeky pinch of my arse. You can't exactly break that party trick out for the lads. Well, you could for Molls, I suppose."

Conscious of the mention of Molly and arses in the one sentence, Captain James tried to change the subject. He cleared his throat hurriedly. "Indeed Smurfoid, think I'd better keep that one under wraps. Wouldn't want to get the masses too excited."

"Boss..?"

"Yes Smurf"

"Speaking of Molly... I want to keep things above board with you. You're the boss after all, and I wanted to square it off with you before I went ahead and did anything."

Fuck. Captain James felt his stomach lurch. He knew exactly where this was headed. Whilst his own relationship with Molly was completely against army regulations, relationships between privates of the same rank were far more common. He knew that Molly and Smurf had a past, and knew full well that Smurf still carried a torch for her, particularly since she had saved his life. He wasn't blind.

"Listen, Smurf. I don't know what you're going to say, nor do I want to. Forget this conversation before it even gets started. You're here to work." Before the words even left his mouth he almost laughed out loud at his own hypocrisy.

"But boss?" Smurf was determined to have this conversation. He needed the boss to give them his blessing before he made his move on Molly.

"Smurf! Drop. It. Now." He left absolutely no doubt that the conversation was over. "Mess tent now - Christmas dinner will be served shortly".

"Yes boss. Sorry boss. I didn't mean nothing by it". Smurf was stunned at the ferocity with which he had been shut down.

Captain James was aware as he walked away that this was something he would need to raise with Molly. Not today though. It was Christmas Day, and he had food to serve.

:::::::

Molly sat in the mess tent, perched on a bench and feeling stuffed. This was weird, she mused. She had just had turkey, potatoes, stuffing, the lot, even those little sausages wrapped in bacon that Nan insisted on them having every year. Yet here she was, sat in the middle of the desert, roasting hot and surrounded by chaos.

Not that it was unusual for her to be surrounded by chaos, but this was different. Usually it would be all of her siblings rolling round the floor with their new toys, high on sugar from selection boxes. This year, the boys around her whooped in delight as Mansfield took on the Christmas dinner challenge. The challenge seemed to consist of stuffing as much sprouts in his mouth at the one time as humanly possible. God knows what the sleeping quarters were going to smell like overnight!

The boss had served them Christmas dinner as promised, all eager and efficient. He seemed to get a kick out of the lads taking the piss and ordering him about for extra potatoes and stuffing. He had all his clever little responses ready for them.

She had tried not to watch him as he raced around, looking after everyone but it was an impossible task. He had worked up a sweat running around, and wore just his army regulation tshirt and combats. Molly, for the umpteenth time, wondered just how she had gotten so lucky. She knew she was head over heels for him, and miraculously he seemed to feel the same for her. She could barely tear her eyes from him. Thankfully the lads were all gathered at the next table, cheering Mansfield as he stuffed yet more sprouts in his gob. Only Qaseem sat next to her, and he was engrossed in a book that the boss had handed to him before dinner started, urging him to take a look.

"He is a good man." Qaseem's voice piped up from beside her. Shit, maybe he wasn't so engrossed after all. She decided to play daft.

"Who, Qaseem? Hope you're not on about Mansfield, cos from where I'm sitting he ain't so much a good man, just a silly sod."

"Don't play innocent with me Molly Dawes" he teased her in a way that only Qaseem could get away with. "I see you looking at Captain James. I see him looking at you as well."

Shit.

"Dunno what you're on about mate. You must need those eyes of yours tested." She tried to bluff her way out of it.

"Mmhhmm. If you say so" was all he uttered in response, not believing a word of her denials. He followed it up with a quiet whisper.

"Be happy Molly. If the last ten years have taught me anything, it's that we need to take our chance for a moment of happiness when it comes along. You never know when it will be taken back from you." His eyes glistened for a second before he returned to the book, studying the pages with care.

Well that had been unexpected. Maybe she and the boss weren't so good at hiding it after all. Molly wasn't concerned though, Qaseem had proven to be a good friend to her. She knew he would keep her secret.

"Thank you Qaseem" she brushed his hand lightly before silence fell upon them.

:::::::::

The entertainment after dinner had been a good laugh. Kinders and Dangles put on a ridiculously bad offering, but everyone had joined in with the singing and dancing. It was enough to distract them from thinking about home, and that's all that was needed.

The boss had then sprung a surprise on them - the army music corps had returned, and had blown them all away with some classic Christmas tunes. The boss had loved that, and Molly tried not to giggle like a loved-up schoolgirl at his dance moves when the music had started up. Considering it was her first Christmas away from home, and that she was smack bang in the middle of a warzone, it hadn't been all that bad. Particularly not Christmas morning. That would definitely qualify as her best ever start to a Christmas!

She was drawn from her thoughts by the lightest of touches at her back. She knew it was him without even turning around.

"Meet me in the med tent in 5 minutes Dawesy" he whispered in her ear, low and commanding. "I've got a Christmas treat especially for you."

Her pulse quickened at the thought. "Got another present for me to unwrap sir?" She fought to keep her most innocent face plastered on.

"5 minutes" he growled as he left her musing just how she could make the next 4 and a half minutes pass without exploding.

::::::::

She practically ran to the tent as soon as the nominated time had expired. He sat on the makeshift bed with a little box perched on his lap.

Shit, he meant an actual present. How the fuck had he managed to do that?

She looked at it curiously before he piped up.

"Go on then Dawes, open it up."

She pulled the paper from the box and let out a squeal when she realised what it was. The daft sod had only gone and got her a West Ham keyring! She laughed hysterically when she saw it.

"Proper panicked when I saw that little box there boss! It's perfect, thank you." She pulled him towards her for a gentle kiss as he laughed at her good natured response.

What started as a gentle kiss quickly descended into a passionate embrace, as his tongue devoured her mouth. She felt herself dissolve into a puddle with the feel of his body pressing against her, hard with need. He continued to kiss her with force. This was getting serious quickly, and she had to stop it while she still retained some consciousness that the lads were dancing around like lunatics outside.

"Boss, we can't do this here. Someone might come in". Her words were muffled as she mumbled them into his mouth. She had to be strong.

He seemed to register what she was saying, and pulled her to the far corner of the tent, shielded from the entrance. He towered over her as he spoke. She had to look up just to focus on his eyes. That was a mistake, as they were dark with desire. "Unfortunately Molly, you're right. We can't do exactly what I want to do.

I can still do something for you though". He winked, his eyes full of mischief. Molly didn't take much convincing, and threw herself back into his arms.

There was a tenderness to his kiss that took her breath away. He stopped, and placed his hand under her chin to fix her gaze on him while he caressed her face gently. The Christmas tunes were still playing full force outside as the sun began to set. She let out a small, happy sigh when she realised that she had found the moment of happiness that Qaseem had referred to. This was bliss.

The perfect moment passed as quickly as a breath. His hands moved from her face to her waistband, pulling down her combats. He maintained eye contact the whole time. She knew what he wanted, and suddenly felt delirious with need for him. He pushed her trousers down to the floor, he needed rid of them. Dropping to his knees, he spread her legs apart slowly with his hands. Goosebumps had broken out across her skin, despite the heat. Molly shivered at the feeling and looked down to see him still watching her carefully. She knew he felt it too.

He pulled her knickers to the side and teased her with his warm breath on her thighs. She squirmed with pleasure and he pulled them down, another barrier between them gone. He grabbed one leg and gently kissed the inside of her thigh. Switching between thighs with warm gentle kisses, he was in heaven. He needed more though, and pulled her leg over his shoulder.

She was so ready for him, and it nearly killed him. He kissed her clitoris with soft little strokes, lifting his tongue over to cause just enough friction. Suddenly he switched it up and stopped to suck it, long and hard. Molly had never had to try so hard in her life not to scream out in pleasure. In the absence of making any noise, she pulled roughly on the thick curls on his head. He moaned into her, causing a vibration which nearly ended her there and then. Her heel dug sharply into his back as she contorted in pleasure.

He wasn't finished, and plunged his tongue deep into her core, sucking as hard as he possibly could. Molly's eyes fluttered deep into the back of her head, the pleasure taking over her entire body as she bucked under his touch. In response, he pulled her legs even further into him. He was buried as deep as possible, and continued to feast.

As he continued his quest to bury himself inside of her, Molly looked down. She caught a glimpse of her thighs wrapped around him, his hair grasped in her hands. She came harder than she ever thought possible, biting down hard on her lip to prevent a scream. The blood pounded through her body. He wasted not a drop of her pleasure, enjoying every last second.

If he died now, he would die a happy, happy man.

He sat up higher on his knees, breathless and his face soaked from her juices. He couldn't help but watch the adorable flush on her cheeks as she came back down to earth. He helped her as she regained her composure, buckled legs struggling to stand.

He stood and pulled her shivering body into his arms, tenderly stroking her as her breaths returned to normal. He was vaguely aware that the music had stopped, something which meant they would need to be parted before they were disturbed. His parting words were short and sweet.

"I love you"

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	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note - Got another update for all of you below! After the Christmas updates, this chapter is more closely linked to episode 3, re-told in the way I would like to imagine it! I've also had a couple of comments come back re the steamier content of this story. I would reiterate - if you don't want to read anything with more mature content then please don't read this story! The last thing I would want to do is offend anybody!**

**I have managed to map out where I want to get to with the rest of this - I think it probably has another couple of chapters to go. Given that the following chapter is more intertwined with the content of the actual TV programme, I would add that all characters and lines taken from the script below are copyright of the BBC and the amazing Tony Grounds. This is just my retelling of the story to add the details that I personally would have liked to have been included!**

**Thank you all again for your really lovely comments and encouragement. As I've said before, this is the first time I have ever written any sort of fiction, and I'm really, really enjoying it. Your reviews really help that, so please do continue to let me know what you think!**

**:::::::**

Molly stood, still dishevelled and dusty from the obstacle race that morning, eating her breakfast in silent peace. The lads were in the shower block, being a noisy rabble as usual, but she blocked it out and enjoyed the heat of the morning sun on her face as she ate her coco pops. The milk was actually cold this morning, and she savoured the taste like a little luxury. She had a chuckle as she considered how far she had come: thinking of any part of this as luxury would have been madness to her not so long ago.

The rest of 2 Section continued with their banter in the showers, whilst Kinders tried in vain to get them to hurry the fuck up. She looked towards the block, disappointed that the boss hadn't joined the rest of them. Given his rank, he had a private showering block just off of his quarters. What a shame, mused Molly. She would have been quite happy for an opportunity to watch him stroll from the communal facilities back to his quarters in just a towel! They hadn't had an opportunity to be together properly in almost a month, only once since Christmas. It was driving them both crazy. They had to make do at the moment, with quick little touches and chats now and then. Not often enough though.

She was scheduled to be leaving for R&R that day, and she was dreading it. The boss hadn't said much on the topic - she had a feeling he was trying to put a brave face on it. 2 weeks at home should have been cheering her up no end, but the prospect of a fortnight of enforced separation from the boss was disastrous to her.

She was dragged from her musings about the boss, by Sohail getting in her face. That was a step from the sublime to the ridiculous. Sohail was a right intimidating bastard, and muttered angrily to his ANA mate in Pashto. Clearly something about her was getting on his nerves. Probably her lack of male genitalia. He was one of those blokes who was never, ever going to be convinced that a woman could be equal to a man. His attitude to their work to ensure that the girls could go to school along with the boys, clearly demonstrated that. She feared that it went beyond just rampant sexism, and that he had the potential to be dangerous. He was rotten, she just knew it.

She sat down, trying to restore the feeling of peace she had before Sohail had rudely interrupted her. No sooner had she perched herself on a ledge than she was disturbed by a spoon being launched in her precious breakfast. That cheeky little fucker Sohail - she would kill him!

"Oi!" She whipped round ready to give him a right bollocking, when she saw the bossman, a shit eating grin plastered over his face. He plonked himself down beside her. Christ he was gorgeous.

"Oh. Sorry Boss, I thought you were Sohail" She was comfortable again, and continued to dig in to her bowl.

"What, you wouldn't share your breakfast with Sohail?" he ventured, feigning innocence. He knew full well she couldn't stand the bloke.

She was appalled at the thought. "No way! I'm not letting him dip his spoon in my coco pops!" She exhaled, her mouth full of those precious coco pops. He cracked up at her double entendre. It made his whole face look younger and carefree when he laughed like that. It was glorious.

"Take it that's not meant to be a euphemism Dawes?" He enquired with a wide smirk on his face.

"If I knew what one of them was Sir, I'd let you know". Her face was a picture of innocence.

He shook his head playfully. He truly loved moments like this, where they could just flirt and exist together without barriers in place. He knew it would probably look suspicious to any observers, a captain and private being on such close terms, but he was currently living for these few and far between precious moments.

He paused to ensure they weren't being overheard before he whispered to her, low and firm. "Your coco pops are pretty special Dawes, don't go sharing them with anyone but me. Once you dip your spoon in, there's no going back". He grinned wolfishly, leaving her in no doubt as to what he was on about.

For once she was floored, no response for him, the innocent look firmly removed from her features. "Filthy bugger" she muttered. His words were having an effect on her body, and she cursed the fact that they hadn't had the chance to be alone together in so long. She looked up as he dipped his spoon into her bowl yet again.

He devoured the spoonful of cereal as he spoke with his mouth full. "I haven't had coco pops in bloody ages..!"

Didn't she know it! As he spoke, a splatter of the cereal dropped into his hand, and he picked it up with the spoon and licked greedily, making a noise of approval. He looked at her with fake innocence. He had her exactly where he wanted and he knew it. She was remembering exactly what that tongue could do. She squirmed uncomfortably.

"What..?" He asked, this time his face the picture of mock innocence. He was grinning uncontrollably again, and it was infectious.

"What..?" She mimicked his childlike tone, playing along with his game. They both giggled like schoolgirls.

He could have this easy banter with her forever. Unfortunately it was swiftly kicked into touch when Captain Azzizi called him over to share his concerns about the troops at the mountain CP.

They hadn't called in their overnight report for the first time ever. Captain James had a quiet sense of foreboding brewing in his chest. It had been too quiet for too long. He had been aware that something was in all likelihood being planned by the insurgents - it looked like this could be it.

He summoned 2 section to get into full kit ASAP so they could head to the mountain pass. As he ran from the shower, Kinders warned Molly that her R&R might well be down the shitter with this latest development. Maybe Molly wouldn't have to worry about leaving after all.

::::::::::

The morning visit to the mountains had been pretty disastrous by all accounts. The checkpoint had clearly been ambushed by the Taliban, with all four ANA guards shot dead at point blank range. Among them was a young soldier who Molly had befriended at the beginning of their placement: Rolex Boy, she had christened him.

Molly's role as medic had been to examine and confirm death in all four of the men, and to oversee the preparation of the dead bodies for removal from the site. Captain James knew she could handle it. She was trained to handle it, but he didn't want her to have to. There was a moment when Qaseem had to point out to her in his capacity as translator that she needed to examine and confirm death. It broke James' heart to see the reluctance in her eyes. Qaseem had stood firm and insisted. He could see that there was a strong sense of trust between Molly and Qaseem. Indeed, he had heard from Qaseem's own mouth just how much regard he had for Molly. She was a reminder of his own daughter. They would have been around the same age had his daughter not been so cruelly taken from him. Upon Qaseem's insistence, Molly had done as she was told, completing her task as she had been trained to do.

He supposed it was part and parcel of the depth of feelings that James had for her that he wanted to protect her from the hellish task, but he knew she wouldn't have thanked him for it one bit. So he forced himself to disengage, and let her get on with it while he tried his utmost to console Captain Azzizi, who had just lost four of his men.

While he was at it, he tried to also disengage his brain from the fact that Molly was on the verge of leaving for two weeks of R&R. Of course, he was glad of the certainty that she would be out of harm's way for the next fortnight. However, it didn't help the sinking feeling in his chest. He would miss her desperately.

Another factor in his discomfort was that Molly would be making her way home with Smurf. Since the awkward attempts of the young soldier to engage the boss on the topic of Molly on Christmas Day, it hadn't been raised by Smurf again. Captain James hadn't repeated the conversation verbatim to Molly, but had given her a fair idea that Smurf wanted to be more than just friends with her. She had already been aware of his growing feelings towards her but she had assured the boss that she had set him straight on more than one occasion that they were just mates: nothing more.

He knew that was true, but it didn't prevent the twinges of jealousy he felt when he witnessed the easy camaraderie between the two soldiers: after all, they had been more than just friends at one point. They were able to mess around, enjoy each other's company and generally be tactile in a way that Molly and Captain James couldn't do in public without raising a hell of a lot of eyebrows. There were some boundaries that they had to obey in public until they got back home and could deal with the situation. Thankfully, there were no private boundaries between the two, and his heart raced with unbridled joy when he thought about the moments that the two of them had shared. Those memories would have to sustain him throughout her time away. He just prayed that Molly wouldn't give up on them and decide that the complications which came with him and their relationship were too difficult to bear. He was all too aware that Smurf was waiting in the sidelines, willing to offer her love that was uncomplicated and easy - he could only pray that he was enough for her.

:::::::

On return to the camp, the day didn't get any better. The confirmation of Major Beck's approval of Dawes and Smurf's R&R was waiting for Captain James on the desk in his quarters. That wasn't the only issue. There was also a report from the ANA that Sohail had gone AWOL from the compound that morning.

He sighed and rubbed the thick curls on his head as he heard an irritating hammering noise coming from outside the tent. What the hell was going on now?

Molly and Dangles stood outside the communal showering facilities, examining the trickle of water which fell from the shower head. Dangles was hammering the pipe in an attempt to remedy the problem.

"What's the matter now?" He ventured towards the two.

"Trying to fix the bloody showers for Dawes so she can get ready for her trip home, Sir. They were working fine this morning. Think there must be a blockage in the main pipe. Must say Dawesy, if you had just got a wash earlier instead of pissing about with them sodding coco pops we'd be sorted by now".

Molly huffed indignantly. "As if I'm gonna take a shower at the same time as you bunch of piss taking wankers." Captain James surveyed the two soldiers in front of him - they were clearly irritable and upset from the events of that morning.

"Steady, Dawes. Dangles, you carry on having a look." Dangles had trained as a plumber before joining the army. He nodded, happy to assist the boss.

"Dawes, you can go and use the shower in my quarters and get ready there. You need to be packed and ready to go in the next hour. The chopper arrives with the temporary medic replacement at 1300. They'll take you and Smurf back to Bastion." She stared at him, clearly upset by her imminent departure. It was a painful moment for both of them. He knew that, as her CO, he needed to ensure that she was squared away and ready to go, no matter how much his insides were screaming at him to take hold of her and never let her go.

Conscious that Dangles was still standing between them, watching the interplay curiously, he added gruffly "Now, Dawes. Double away."

"Yes Sir" she walked away from the scene dejectedly without meeting his gaze.

Shit. He knew his detached attitude wouldn't be helping her already bad day but there was nothing else he could do. He sighed helplessly, trying to formulate a plan to remedy things before she left him for the next two weeks.

::::::

Captain James walked back to his quarters after informing Smurf that the chopper would be here within the hour to pick him up. Smurf was on cloud nine, joking to the other lads as the boss left that he would be trying to convince Molly to join him in the mile high club. Captain James had heard the joke as he left the privates' quarters, and felt his heart sink yet again. What he would give to swap places with Smurf and head home for a fortnight of free time with Molly.

Still, there wasn't time to think about that. He had a plan to execute, and very little time to do it. He strode quickly, having ensured that Kinders was engaged in the task of preparing for the choppers' arrival, with strict orders not to disturb him. He swore that the soldier had an innate sense of turning up exactly when he wasn't wanted. To the boss' shame, he had fed Kinders a story that he was going to use the Skype facilities in the ops tent to call Sam, and didn't want to be disturbed.

As he entered his quarters carefully, ensuring that nobody had seen him, he was aware that he could hear the shower trickling. Shit, she was still in there? He moved closer to the door of the small cubicle. He could distinguish the tones of her sobbing from the noises of the shower. He knocked the rickety door of the shower cubicle softly before edging it open. She stood under the shower head, tears rolling down her beautiful cheeks as she cried. His heart nearly broke in two at the sight.

"What's the matter Molly?"

She looked at him for the first time since he had dismissed her outside. Her eyes were filled with sadness and still brimming with unshed tears.

"They didn't deserve to die like that." She was holding back a sob as she tried to speak. "My mate Rolex Boy, he didn't stand a chance. He couldn't have been much older than Bashira."

"He would have said that he was 18, or he wouldn't have been allowed to enlist." He knew it was no consolation at all, but he was lost for any words which would comfort her. The loss of life was cruel and unfair: a stark reminder of the reason they were here. There were no words to remedy that. Instead, he pulled his uniform from his body, and stepped into the shower to hold her.

She contined to cry in his arms, face buried in his bare chest. He could feel the sobs subsiding as he shushed her, smoothing her wet hair with his hands. "Everything's such a mess here. I just wish that I could sort it all out." She mumbled the words into his chest.

"Shhhhh" he whispered in her ear. "Don't think too much Molly. Just do the job you're bloody good at, and we'll be home before you know it."

For the first time since she had seen those bodies laid out on the ground, Molly felt as though she could breathe again. She was in the Boss' strong arms, and he was holding her as tight as possible. It was as though he didn't want to let go.

She looked up and met his dark eyes. She was aware that this was probably the last time she would see him alone before she left the compound. She took her opportunity and kissed him, trying to convey everything that she felt at that moment. Words weren't enough, she had to show him. Her arms wound round his neck as they both fell into the kiss, her hands playing with the soft wet curls at the nape of his neck. She could stay here forever.

The height difference between them was driving him mad, and he took her by surprise when he leaned down whilst still kissing her to grab the underside of both of her thighs. He pulled her up so that her legs straddled his wet waist, with her ankles locked together in place behind his back. She was so tiny that he was able to hold her in place with little effort.

The water from the shower continued to soak them as his mouth moved from her lips to her neck, sucking and nibbling on a spot close to her ear. She threw her head back with pleasure, and let out a low moan as he nuzzled on the sensitive spot. His arms grabbed her backside as he held her firmly in place against his body. She was pressed so tightly against his torso that he could feel just how wet and ready she was for him. Her nipples were stiff and hard as their chests pressed together tightly. The pressure was building up inside of her just from his mouth nibbling on that sensitive spot.

His hand moved round from her backside to part their moulded bodies and take its place between her slick thighs. As soon as his thumb brushed against her clitoris, she began to tremble and knew she wasn't far from climax. He showed no mercy on her and curled two fingers deep into her core as his thumb continued to press firmly on her clitoris.

She was gone. Her legs began to shake against his waist as her orgasm reverberated through her body. She bit down on his shoulder, forcing herself not to scream as the waves of pleasure continued to ripple through her with no respite.

He wasn't finished though, and before she had the chance to recover, he shifted her down a little lower against his body. He eased himself inside of her as he continued to hold her up with his arms. Her ankles remained locked behind him, heels digging into his back as she tried to hold him as deep as possible inside of her. This was the sweetest torture for him. The feeling of her wet and ready against him whilst she shook with pleasure had almost been enough to finish him off on its own. Being inside of her when she was so wet and still quivering in his arms was almost too much. He could feel his own legs beginning to shake with need and knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

He pressed her back against the wall of the shower cubicle to give himself some leverage as he thrust slowly in and out of her. If he moved too fast he would erupt. Molly continued to tremble, unable to recover from the force of the orgasm she had just experienced, when the effects of his thrusts started to prevail over her body again.

He couldn't bear the torture any longer and moved his hands to her waist, speeding his strokes up as he felt himself come closer and closer to release. As he thrust deeper and deeper, her walls contracted briefly around him, an aftershock from her orgasm. The brief moment tipped him over the edge and he exploded, a low grumble emerging from deep in his throat as he spilled himself inside of her. The stimulation was too much for Molly, and for the second time, her inner walls fluttered and exploded. The second time was even more intense than the first as she felt him immersed deep within her. She squeezed her thighs as tight as she could around his torso as her eyes rolled back in her head with pleasure.

Captain James had no idea how he managed it, but he held her in place as both of them breathlessly came back down to earth.

They stayed that way until both of their chests began to rise and fall at a more normal rate, foreheads pressed against each other.

As reality began to invade her head again, she looked up into his eyes. Tears had gathered there, and he watched her with intensity, trying to gather himself. He said the only thing that could convey how much he needed her.

"Come back to me."

Her heart caught in her chest. He didn't have the familiar look of the boss. He was usually so confident and commanding. Instead, he looked young and vulnerable, as though he was terrified to lose her.

"I will. Don't worry" she smiled as she reassured him. She could barely bring herself to think about how she would last two weeks without seeing him.

::::::

They had dried off and dressed in his quarters when he tried to lighten the mood, asking her to stop at the Nespresso shop in Regent Street to buy him his bloody coffee. The cheeky git! She had been on the verge of laughing until he pulled out a marker pen and delicately wrote the name of the coffee on her arm. "Rosabaya" was now inscribed on her arm. She felt at this point as if he had written indelibly all over her soul: she was ruined for life. If she couldn't have him, she swore she wouldn't be able to make it. It physically hurt her to leave him and pull her kit together for the arrival of the chopper.

All too quickly, the time had come for her to leave the compound. She made her way with Smurf to the exit, making a mental note of all the requests being thrown at her by the lads. She was glad of the distraction. She knew she had to hold it together and get on that chopper.

The boss and Kinders were accompanying them to the exit when she noticed the absence of Sohail. He was usually ever present at the exit.

"Where's Sohail?" She hoped her suspicions about him were wrong, but the look on the Boss' face was worrying her.

James had hoped she wouldn't notice before she left, it would only increase her anxiety about leaving if she knew what had happened. He couldn't lie to her though.

"He's gone AWOL"

Smurf interjected before he had the chance to reassure her "I bloody knew it - Taliban! You should have let me shoot him on day one, boss!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that Smurfoid." He didn't want to get into a debate right now on the rights and wrongs of the situation: he needed to get Molly safely on that chopper and out of harms way.

It hurt him to force her on to the helicopter - in the end he had to order her, using the pretence of his bloody coffee to make it clear that she had no choice.

As he watched the chopper rise into the sky, his heart sunk. His jaw tightened as he tried to keep his emotions under control.

This was going to be a long fortnight.

::::::


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note - all characters and direct quotes are the property of the BBC and Tony Grounds. Although I wish the lovely Captain James was the property of me - obviously! As with previous chapters, if smut offends you, please don't read!**

**This is the longest chapter I've done yet. I nearly split it in two, but thought I would put it all out there for you lovely people who have been reading and taking the time to review- thank you! I haven't completed any of the next chapter yet, so not sure what kind of timescales I will be able to get it up in - hopefully will have time over the next few days to crack on with it! I just love these two, and loving writing this - its currently my addiction! I really hope you enjoy this one - I found this chapter the hardest to write yet, would love to hear what you think.**

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The low rumbling of the military aircraft which was returning Molly from her R&R was lulling her into a fitful sleep as she sat in her uncomfortable seat. They had been flying for over 5 hours, so she tried to get a couple of hours of shut eye until they landed at Bastion. She was knackered. The whole point of R&R was to take some time and recuperate from the stresses of living in a warzone. However, she had spent most of her nights tossing and turning, worried sick about the boss and the rest of her section. They were still out there.

It had been an altogether weird fortnight. Her mum and dad were in a strange place: mums new mate Shazza had chucked the natural order of things up in the air. On reflection, although she couldn't stand the woman, she appreciated that her actions had given her mum a little bit of the confidence she needed to do something for herself. Who was Molly to stand in the way of that? Mum had asked her if she thought she could do it, and she did. She was capable of anything if she put her mind to it.

Dad had been less than convinced. When talking to him about it, she had recalled a conversation she'd had with the boss, back when she had allowed herself to believe that she wasn't good enough for him. The boss had asked her to hold his hand, and told her that although they had come from different places, they could end up at the same destination. It had struck a chord with her, and she had told dad the same thing; hold her hand and you will both move on together. Hopefully it would register in his brain, unlike most of the advice she had tried to give him in the past.

Her mum had noted that Molly wasn't the same girl who had left for Afghan months previously. She was different. The army had changed her, giving her a quiet confidence which hadn't been there before. She had snuggled into her mums' bed one night and wanted to confess to her that she was in love; that she had found someone amazing, who would never dream of treating her like previous boyfriends had. He was a proper good 'un, as Nan would say. She hadn't told her though, it was far too complicated.

It had been complicated even further when she had arrived home from a day trip to Newport with Smurf in tow. She had travelled to Newport to try and get away from the weird atmosphere at home. It turned out to be a happy coincidence that Smurf had taken her to the spot where the boss had spoken when they had scattered Geraint's ashes. Smurf had repeated the same Dylan Thomas passage that the boss had all of those months earlier. Molly had taken a deep breath of the country air and had felt closer to him, just for that little minute. She missed him desperately.

She could tell that Smurf was also struggling to adapt to life away from Afghan and she sympathised. Her struggles were complicated by her feelings for the boss, but Smurf was the only person here who had a clue how she was feeling being away from Afghan. Added to that, he was also missing a part of him: his twin brother. He would never be able to get that part of him back, and Molly's heart broke for him for that reason. They were best mates, and she cared for him as a friend. So she had brought him back home, and they had a laugh together for the rest of their leave.

She was worried that her family had assumed they were closer than just mates though, and made it clear to her mum and dad when Smurf arrived that they were only friends. Her dad had sniggered and responded "Yeah, obviously. Just mates, Molls. Just like me and Jimbo from down the pub. Only I don't bring him back here to stay with me family." Mum and Nan were just as unconvinced.

She didn't care about their assumptions though, she knew the truth. She had told Smurf that she didn't want to go out with anyone from the platoon. It was an excuse, but she wanted to protect him from the truth - that she had fallen head over heels for the boss, and that anyone and anything else paled in comparison to him.

She needed to stop thinking and get some kip before they landed. Only 2 hours to Bastion. If she was lucky there might be a chopper waiting to take them back to the FOB. If that was the case, she would be able to see him in around 4 hours. She had managed 2 weeks. She was on the home stretch now.

:::::

Captain James was a bundle of nerves. Molly was due to arrive back at the base this afternoon - thank christ! He could barely stand another minute away from her. That lucky bastard Smurf had managed to have her all to himself for the journey home and the journey back to Afghan. He tried not to let his jealousy bubble over at the thought.

The last 2 weeks had dragged by. There had been very little in the way of notable action, and as a result, he had been informed that they were being pulled back to Bastion in the next day or two - their work here was complete. He was glad that they would be heading back to the relative safety of Bastion. At the same time though, he was worried about the implications for his and Molly's relationship. In the FOB, it was easier for them to believably spend time together. Back at Bastion, he would be forced to spend more time with the other officers. It was uncommon for CO's to spend substantial amounts of time with their subordinates outwith working time. There would also be more eyes on them. He would have to deal with that when it happened though. For now, he just needed to see her again.

He was catching up with Captain Azzizi on the full handover to the ANA when he heard the chopper approach. His heart leapt into his chest - they were early! He couldn't help but allow his face to break into a wide grin as he watched the helicopter pull in to the base. He noticed Azzizi watching him curiously. He managed to laugh off the moment.

"There's Dawes with my bloody coffee, it's taken her long enough!" Azzizi had looked dumbfounded at his enthusiasm for coffee, and James promised him they would catch up later, as he left him standing alone.

He practically ran to the watchtower to see her depart the chopper with his own eyes. Smurf was helping her to jump down. As he approached he could hear the lads shouting excitedly about something.

"Anything can happen down that London" whooped Fingers excitedly. Baz then interjected "He looks like the cat that got the cream!"

Mansfield saved the worst until last though. "He's been hanging out her back doors all R&R. Believe me!"

What the fuck? Why were they talking about London? More importantly, why the fuck were they talking about Molly and Smurf in London? His blood ran cold as he stared Mansfield down.

"What was that?" were the only civil words his brain managed to come up with.

Mansfield pointed to Molly and Smurf being accompanied back to the base by Kinders.

"Well take a look! We said goodbye to the boy...and hello to the man, Sir!"

He thought he might vomit. He tried to stop his brain running to all sorts of wild conclusions. Why would Smurf be in London anyway? He would have stayed with his mum in Newport. The lads must have got it wrong. His brain whirred with questions as he walked down the stairs and saw her greeting Brains and Dangles. Then she looked up and saw him. Her smile lit up as she watched him make his way over.

This was the moment he had been dreaming of since she left two weeks ago, but had turned into a nightmare. All he wanted was to scoop her up into his arms. Every fibre of his body ached to touch her. His mind was painting all sorts of terrible pictures though, fuelled by his raging jealousy. He could barely even bring himself to look Molly directly in the eye. He couldn't face asking her what had happened. If nothing had, she would be furious with him for jumping to conclusions. If something had happened...Well, he couldn't think like that.

She could see his reluctance to address her, an internal battle raging within him. "You alright Sir? " she ventured.

He was incapable of giving her any sort of meaningful response. "Alright Dawes"

_Ok_. This was weird. What the hell was wrong with him? She tried her hardest to maintain some professional composure. "Eggy says we're out of here, back to Bastion for the duration?"

He was recovering his stern captain face, trying to neutralise the fear and anger coursing through his veins."That's right. You should probably do a handover with the temp medic. Helicopter's waiting." His voice was cold and detached.

Why wouldn't he look at her? She stood, uncertain for a moment before she responded. "Yes boss."

"Double away then!" He snapped. His frustration was getting the better of him, and he clenched his fists at his sides whilst trying to regain some sort of composure.

Molly was beyond confused as she grabbed her kit and doubled away, as ordered. _What the fuck was that_? Whilst she knew he couldn't exactly snog her on arrival, she expected something more than this weird, silent attitude that was radiating from him.

He was cursing himself as she walked away. What the fuck was wrong with him? He had willed the last two weeks to pass by as quickly as possible and now that she was back he was acting like a jealous idiot. He had to find out what the lads were talking about, surely they must have got it wrong? What if they were right though? His blood ran cold at the thought.

He made his way to the med tent to try and speak to Molly in private and figure out what the hell was going on. Jackie was still there and was regaling the story of Mansfield and those bloody gangsta nicks - what a ballache that had been! He had to bollock Mansfield for his idiocy afterwards whilst trying not to laugh about the state of his head - he was a complete mess! He could hear that the story had at least cheered Molly up.

"Bet the boss weren't too happy!" She giggled at the thought of the bollocking Mansfield would have got. Usually the noise would have warmed his heart, but not in the current circumstances.

He entered the tent as the two women looked towards him. "Mainly because gangsta nicks are banned in the military." He commented coldly. Jealousy had never really been his style. Until now. The thought of somebody other than him being with Molly, touching her, holding her, was enough to drive him insane. He already had to deal with the knowledge that something had happened in the past between Molly and Smurf, but he could compartmentalise that in his head because it had been in the past; before he and Molly had fallen for each other. Even the suggestion that something had happened whilst they were on R&R had red hot spikes of anger coursing through him.

Dangles approached the tent to accompany Jackie off to the chopper. They were finally alone. He looked into her eyes properly for the first time since she had arrived. They shone as she smiled uncertainly at him.

"You ok?" she ventured hesitantly. "You're acting a bit.." she tailed off, not quite sure where to take this.

"A bit what?" He was being petulant and he knew it. He just couldn't shake the cloud of doubt that had taken over his brain, no matter how much he tried.

"Nothing, never mind" she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with this line of questioning, so she took another route. "Don't trust Jackie very much do you?"

She had taken him by surprise with that one.

"What..?" He blinked, surprised by the left field question.

"I can see in here" she gestured to the log book "that you haven't had your blisters, or your shoulder checked over. You're meant to get that wound checked out once a week to make sure it's healed up properly." She looked at him with concern in her eyes. She had no idea what was wrong, but she needed to make sure he was ok.

Captain James realised that she was concerned for him. No wonder, he was acting like a child. He appreciated that she was trying, despite his surly attitude. He could feel his anger start to quell as she stepped closer to him, although his heart was racing for other reasons.

She had come back to him, just as she promised she would. He was stupid and childish to even think the lads had a clue what they were talking about...

He caressed her face with his hand as she closed her eyes, savouring his touch. She felt as though his hands were carrying volts of electricity. Usually, when they had a moment like this, it was tender and gentle. When she looked at him now though, all she could see in his face was raw passion. He almost looked pained. He suddenly brought his lips down to meet hers with such force that she was taken by surprise. She responded to him without hesitation. They were lost in each other, tongues sensually exploring. He moaned deeply into her mouth; this was what he needed, she alone could sustain him. She arched her whole body against him, desperate to feel every inch of him flush against her. He pulled her even closer.

They were falling into a perfect rhythm, both cherishing the feel of the other in their arms when Kinders' voice boomed into the tent as he approached.

"Oi Molly!" They jumped apart as if struck by electricity, both trying to regain some sort of composure.

"You went to bloody Newport and you weren't a hostage?! Old Smurf is a silver-tongued cavalier...!" He tailed off as he walked in and noticed the boss standing opposite Molly, his face like thunder.

"Sorry boss. Didn't see you there."

Captain James felt as though the floor had come out from under him. The pain of hearing the lads and their banter earlier returned full force, accompanied by the same searing anger. His military training didn't fail him though, and he managed to keep it under control, if only for the benefit of Kinders.

"You went to Newport?" His body and his voice may have been maintaining a steady composure but when his eyes met Molly's, she saw the rage flash in them.

_Fuck_. She hadn't had a chance to tell him yet. She'd been too bloody busy trying to work out what the hell was wrong with him when she first arrived.

She didn't have a chance to say anything in response. He turned abruptly on his heel and strode out of the tent. Oh shit, this wasn't good. He obviously thought something had happened between them.

"So how big a shit-hole is it then?!" Kinders obviously had no clue what he had done, and continued with the interrogation. That fucking wanker! How many times had he disturbed them now?!

::::::

James crossed the compound in a rage, wishing that his fury would dissipate the faster he moved. This was his worst fucking nightmare come true. He knew that it would be difficult for them to wait out until they got home to be together as a couple properly. He also knew that she and Smurf were the best of mates, and had a stronger bond than most friends he had ever known. She had gone to Newport to see him, and if the lads were right then they had also spent time together in London.

As he passed the entrance to the privates' quarters, he overheard Smurf, Brains and Fingers deep in conversation.

"Go on then mate, what really happened?! You can tell us!" Fingers was egging him on to spill the beans.

"Well, you know. We chilled in Newport for a day and then came back to London together. I met her parents and her Nan, and stayed with them for the week." Smurf did indeed sound like the cat who had got the cream. It took every ounce of restraint left in the boss not to interrupt him with force. Thank fuck he wasn't carrying his rifle.

"Ooooh, meeting the parents. Living together! Get in there, get in there!" Fingers was hamming it up, loving the gossip.

"Well, you know my friends. A true gent never kisses and tells!" Smurf was full of glee as he responded.

The three soldiers guffawed with laughter as Dangles issued his response "and you sure as fuck ain't a true gent, Smurfoid!"

He couldn't listen any longer. It felt like the world as he knew it was crumbling around him. 5 minutes ago he had Molly in his arms. He had felt like nothing could touch them. Now it was all falling apart.

:::::

Molly stormed from the tent to find Smurf after being subjected to the piss-taking from the rest of the lads. _What the fuck had he said to them all?!_ She finally caught up with him as he unpacked boxes outside the mess tent. He was insistent that all he had told them was the truth; that the two of them had spent time together in Newport and London, and that he had stayed with her parents. Hearing it back like that, it sounded worse than it actually was, and she felt deeply uneasy about how the boss would respond when it got back to him. The icing on the cake came though when he had referred to her earlier excuse about not wanting a boyfriend from the same platoon.

"I'm not stupid Molls. I know you don't want to go out with anyone from the platoon."

Her well intentioned words had backfired and given Smurf hope when they shouldn't have. Her irritation at the whole situation got the better of her and she finally snapped.

"No, Smurf! I don't wanna go out with you! You're my mate! Why can't you just be my mate?!" She couldn't understand why he wouldn't just drop it when he knew that she wasn't interested.

His words came like a punch to the gut.

"Because, I love you!"

_Shit_. She had totally misread this situation. She knew that Smurf was keen on her, but she thought she had done enough to show him that she wasn't interested. That they were best mates. Instead, their friendship was probably ruined, and god only knows what the boss was thinking.

She walked away, before any more damage could be done.

:::::

Molly sat, alone, trying to wrap her head around the events since her arrival back at the FOB. It was too much to contend with. They were leaving to go back to Bastion. The boss was furious. Her and Smurf were no longer on speaking terms. She had only been back for a couple of hours, yet everything had been turned on its head.

Captain James had spotted her sitting alone as he made his way to watchtower duty. As soon as his imposing figure reached the corner of her eye, she jumped into action. Ready to defend herself. Ready to fight for them.

He continued past her, willing her not to speak to him. He couldn't bear to hear her voice. Not after the events of this afternoon. She followed him, not willing to drop it.

"Nothing happened.." she began her explanation of events when he cut her off instantly.

"What you telling me for?" He passed her without a second glance in her direction.

"When are we back to Bastion?" She would force him to speak to her, even if it was only in a professional capacity.

He cursed inwardly, knowing he would have to answer her. "0600 hours. You should probably pack." He still hadn't stopped walking. It was a simple, brutal answer. She was lost for a response.

"So that it then. It's over?" They both knew she wasn't just enquiring about the FOB.

He walked away, unable to answer.

::::

They left the FOB the next morning, and were en route to Bastion when the line of vehicles came to an abrupt halt. Smurf was on the gun turret and reported that a bloody sheet was pinned down by rocks, with what could be a body underneath. He swore it was moving.

Before Molly could think it through, she had declared herself ready for action; if there was a body out there, then a medic was needed. She exited the tank with the boss; for the first time since her return, they were operating as a team again. That wasn't the case for long though; as 2 Section fanned out around the vehicle, he ordered her to take cover while he investigated. Her blood ran cold at the thought. The only thing worse than the prospect of being blown up by an IED was the thought of the boss being blown up by one in front of her eyes.

He had carefully moved around ten yards or so before she couldn't bear it any longer. She broke cover to move closer to him. She had to stay with him. She was vaguely aware of Kinders screaming down the radio at her, but it didn't stall her. The boss turned around, staring carefully at her, the vallon in his hand.

"Have you got a death wish?" His eyes were no longer angry. He was focused on the task in hand, detached from emotional turmoil.

"Maybe" she shrugged.

He returned his attention to the task in hand, sweeping the vallon over the ground as they inched forward carefully.

At least I know that you can't argue with me out here. You need to listen."

"Is that why you're risking your neck?"

"I'm risking my neck for you. Just like I always will." He was silent, so she continued as they moved forward. "Nothing happened with Smurf. Yes, we spent time together. As mates. We were both fragged from being away from you lot. The only time I even felt ok was when I managed to swing the conversation round to you."

"Can we have this talk when we get back to Bastion, and aren't potentially about to have our heads ripped off by a roadside bomb, Molly?" he snapped.

"We could have had this talk yesterday, if you weren't such a jealous idiot, and had actually listened to me." He sighed. She was right.

She interpreted his silence positively "I don't wanna argue with you, not ever. I'm just saying, that I love you. Only you. It will only ever be you. And I wanted to tell you that, incase we get to that sheet, and someone detonates it, and we're blown to smithereens. I still remember what you said to me all those weeks ago - I want you to be the last thing I see as well."

Her words were what he needed. It occurred to him that he had never heard her say that she loved him before. He had told her, but she had never said it back. He found his resolve and regained his focus before he turned to Molly.

"I love you too Molly. I'm sorry"

Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before a hand reached out from under the sheet, grabbing the vallon. The body under the sheet was Sohail, battered and bruised. He had been kidnapped by the Taliban and tortured.

Captain James watched as Molly worked tirelessly at the roadside to save the ANA soldier who had been nothing but arrogant and nasty to her since her arrival. He was beyond impressed at her professionalism. When the MERT arrived to medevac him out of there, Molly jumped on board to continue to treat his injuries. After ensuring that Kinders could deal with transporting the convoy to Bastion by road, he too boarded the chopper; the kidnap and torture of an ANA soldier was something he needed to alert the Major to ASAP.

:::::

Once he had a chance to catch up with Major Beck, he made his way directly to the hospital facilities at Bastion to check on Sohail's condition. Molly, together with the medic on board the chopper, had managed to keep him stable until they had landed.

When he arrived, he found Molly by Sohail's bedside with the surgeon who was treating him. The surgeon wasn't positive with her prognosis, but did confirm that they would operate to try and repair some of the internal damage to his body. It was imperative that they tried to obtain any useful information from him, and when he retained a degree of consciousness, Molly and the boss tried to extract whatever useful facts they could from him.

Sohail maintained that he had no link to the horrific mountain pass incident which had taken place on the very same day he went AWOL. His explanation for why he had been beaten and tortured stunned Molly and Captain James; he had been ordered to kill Molly on behalf of Bashira's father, but had refused the order.

James had no idea if this was the truth, and before he could verify the story with any further questions, the machines connected to Sohail began to sound in alarm as he lost consciousness. He was wheeled off by the surgeons, leaving a panic stricken Molly and anxious Captain James behind.

Tears cascaded down Molly's cheeks as she tried to take in the events of the last 24 hours. He instantly closed the gap between them where the bed had been and pulled her toward him, moulding their foreheads together as he brushed the tears from her cheeks. He was desperate to kiss her. Despite his emotional state, he recognised that it would be professional suicide for them to show any more affection in a room full of injured patients and medical staff.

_Fuck it_. He grabbed Molly's hand tightly and pulled her from the room, down the corridor towards a row of quiet rooms, where the medical personnel could sleep between attending to critically injured patients. He opened the first door they came to, throwing his head in the door to ensure it wasn't occupied. The tiny room contained a single bunk bed and desk with a lamp barely illuminating the room. He pulled Molly in behind him, still holding her wrist.

The door handle clicked as he locked it behind them. The tears were gone from Molly's eyes, as her vision adjusted to the dim light of their surroundings after the bright light of the hospital corridor. The feeling of fear which had invaded her stomach not 5 minutes previously had been replaced with a churning feeling of pure lust and desire as she imagined just what he was about to do to her. His intentions were clear; he needed her, and now.

She had no time to collect herself before he leaned her against the wall of the tiny room, his tall frame dwarfing her. He placed his hands on the wall behind her and leaned forward, whispering in her ear.

"I'm going to need you naked Dawes. That's an order." his eyes were almost feral with possession. He was taking charge of the situation, his dominant captain persona coming to the forefront.

He said nothing else, eyebrow raised expectantly as he waited for her to follow his order. She bit her lip nervously as she tugged the hem of her shirt from her belted waist, teasing him as she slowly pulled the garment up over her flat, bare stomach. Painfully slowly, she raised her arms and pulled the shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor. Her trousers followed, and she slowly undid those as she let go of the waistband and allowed them to drop. He watched her undress, his eyes becoming darker, pupils enlarged with lust. She was left with only her white cotton bra and pants. Those were becoming wetter by the second as her folds flushed with wetness, desire pooling in her thighs. She stopped for a second, anticipation freezing her.

"You're not naked yet. Disobeying orders again?" He licked his lower lip.

"You're the boss" she maintained eye contact as she unclasped her bra and let it fall. He hadn't even touched her yet, arms still braced on the wall behind her, leaning forward as she undressed. He watched her intently though, and as she moved to grab the sides of her white cotton knickers and push them down her legs, she ensured that she met his gaze the whole time.

"Mission accomplished boss" she breathed as her heart raced, unsure of what he had in store for her.

"He leaned in even further, still not touching her but whispering close in her ear. "Did you think about this while you were away?"

She bit her lower lip. This was torture, and he knew it. She forced herself to answer.

"Yes boss." It was an urgent whisper.

"What did you do when you thought about it, thought about us, together?" She watched him uncertainly. Was he really going to make her spell it out? He waited for her response, still taking care not to lean any further forward.

"I...I...you know what I did.." She couldn't form the words.

"No, I don't know Dawes. Show me." He was smirking. If she hadn't been so turned on right now she would have wiped the smirk from his face. He was infuriating.

"Show. Me" he was insistent. His voice had dropped an octave and his tone was pure sex.

She hesitantly moved her hands towards her thighs, brushing her soaking wet folds with her fingers as she spread them apart. She used the other hand to gently rub her clitoris, the way she had done at home when she thought of him alone at night.

Her embarrassment quickly evaporated as she continued to touch herself, teasing as she circled her clitoris with her fingers. It was sweet torture for her, she ached for him to touch her. Instead he watched, breaths hitching in his chest. His breathing was sporadic, and she could tell he was enjoying the show.

He let out a low, deep groan as he watched her. She increased the pace of her fingers as she teased herself. He could see how wet she was.

"Do it" he ordered. He couldn't tear his eyes from her.

His voice made her knees weaken and they both moaned in unison as she inserted two fingers deep inside of herself. His intense glare was focused on her hands as her juices flowed, her hands moving faster and faster,eyes fluttering with pleasure.

"What are you thinking about?" He was losing control. He didn't think he could resist her for much longer.

"You boss. I'm thinking about you inside of me." She looked in his eyes and pushed a third finger inside of her, all restraint forgotten. "I'm thinking about how wet you make me. Only you. Only ever you." She threw her head back in delight.

He gulped, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. He was painfully hard, his erection straining forcefully against his trousers. He tried to ignore it, but when she moaned in pleasure again, he couldn't take it anymore. He stilled her wrists with his hands, replacing her fingers with his as he pulled her against his body. His fingers brushed against her walls as he curled them inside of her, rubbing her clitoris forcefully. Seconds later, she was exploding around his hand, her warm juices gushing around him as she clung to his shoulders, the only thing keeping her upright.

She had no time to recover before he lifted her, transporting her to the tiny bed in the corner of the room. He undressed frantically, having used his restraint by the bucketload while he watched her pleasure herself. When he finally freed his raging erection he breathed a sigh of relief; he was almost there.

Molly, his Molly, lay legs outstretched on the bed, waiting for him. She was so beautiful. He took his place between her thighs and eased himself into her. She exhaled and moaned heavily in his ear; the feeling of him filling her was overwhelming.

"Oh fuck, yes" he grunted as he slid in even deeper. He rested her forehead on hers, their eyes meeting as he rolled his hips, ensuring he hit her in the right spot with every stroke.

"Faster boss. I need more." She was insatiable. If he hadn't been so close to the edge he would have laughed at the insistence in her order; she knew exactly what she wanted.

He took her chin in his hand as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. She deepened the kiss, pulling his tongue into her mouth as she swallowed his moans. She locked her legs tightly around his waist and thrust her hips until they were both lost in each other.

They both moaned with pleasure as they were transported to ecstasy.

:::::

They lay on the single bed afterwards, curled up naked, and sated from their passionate encounter. He threaded his fingers through her long hair, all too aware that they would need to move soon. They had taken a big enough chance; to stay locked in the room any longer would be too dangerous.

"I could stay here forever boss" Molly spoke, low and satisfied.

"Charles" he laughed as he realised he still hadn't shared that one with her.

"Charles?" she raised her head to stare at him inquisitively.

"My name, Molly. It's Charles."

She couldn't help it. She sniggered helplessly, burying her face in the pillow as he pulled her even tighter into him, tickling gently. He traced lazy circles on her bare stomach as he spoke.

"What's so fucking hilarious about Charles? What you going to do, call me bossman for the rest of our lives?"

"Bit previous there ain't you" she was secretly delighted to the reference to the rest of their lives.

"Well Dawes. It's chemistry" he ended the conversation as he pulled her to him yet again, a look of renewed lust flashing in his eyes as he took her into his arms.

:::::::


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note- latest chapter below. It isn't quite as long as the last, think chapter 7 took it out of me (!). We are now into episode 4 territory. This story is growing much, much longer than the original one / two shot I had anticipated for my first ever fanfic! I am delighted that there are some positive reviews, and that people generally seem to be enjoying it. **

**Have a happy, happy new year, and please let me know what you think of the latest! Your lovely words give me the motivation to carry on with this!**

**:::::::::**

"Stay with me!"

The thick dust in the desert air combined with breathlessness from exertion was making Molly feel faint. She thought she might pass out. She tried to push through the barrier, exhausted and panting, the distant cries of the boss resounding in her ear. Her throat was dry and she struggled to keep up the pace.

"Come on. Stay with me!" He repeated, his voice deep and commanding.

The torturing bastard. He was getting some sort of sick pleasure from this, she could tell. She couldn't fucking run any faster in this heat! It had been a different story the previous afternoon when he had been moaning those same words in her ear. The memory distracted her momentarily.

..

_The other lads had been competing against the Yanks in the first stages of some volleyball tournament. They had been back at Bastion for almost four weeks, and it had been even more difficult for her and the boss to spend any time alone together. They had taken advantage of the rare moment of solitude, holed up together in his cabin._

_They were spooned tightly together, naked and lost in each other. He lay behind her, one arm rested over her waist, his warm hand alternating between each of her breasts, teasing her taut nipples slowly, lazily. He took great care to ensure that he brought her to a soft satisfied moan, before stopping in his tracks, removing his hand, and giving the same treatment to the other breast, causing her to howl lightly with frustration. He was enjoying her chagrin as he brought her to a peak and then switched it up as soon as she got too comfortable. His other hand was gripped flat across her stomach as he timed his strokes perfectly. In and out, in and out, their bodies thrust together forcefully as the small bed in his trailer rocked with the force. He was determined to time his strokes so that they came together. He loved feeling her walls contract around him at the same time as he came. He could feel himself teetering on the brink and moved his hand from her stomach, lower, and then lower again, trailing over her pubic bone lightly, teasing her._

_"Stay with me. Come with me" his order grumbled in her ear as he continued to thrust. She was so wet, so tight. He was in heaven. He felt the blood begin to pound in waves around his body as intense pleasure began to circulate. It was the right time. He circled her enlarged clitoris with his fingers, going in for the kill. He buried his face in the warmth of her silky hair as he cried out in pleasure._

_Molly was done for. Her head fell back further to nestle in his warm shoulder. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she raised one arm up and behind her, to grab him. She couldn't see his face, and she needed to grab hold of him to anchor herself to something. She found her grip on the thick hair covering the back of his neck, pulling and gripping her hands against the curls as they both fell into oblivion._

...

"Stay with me" he continued to scream from the jeep as it screeched further from the group tearing her from the glorious memory. She couldn't take this anymore, she was falling behind the group. _Fuck this_. She was done in.

"Come on Dawesy!" Smurf cajoled her to keep up. "We're all crossing that finish line together!"

Meanwhile, Captain James watched from the comfort of the vehicle which he and Kinders had used to roar across the compound, tormenting 2 section as they continued to pound the dusty desert floor. They had nearly hit an all time personal best for their morning 5k run, and he was determined to push them to reach it.

As the group approached him, he let out a warning cry "the last soldier past me is going to be on...latrine clean!"

If he had hoped to engender competition amongst the section it had failed, as they crossed the finish line together, arms adjoined. The boss smirked into his cup of coffee.

They were learning. They were operating as a team.

:::::

The glee was soon wiped from his face. James and Kinders had been summoned by Major Beck to meet with him that morning. He knew it had to be a matter of key importance as soon as he saw Major Morley of the US Marines present at the meeting; he just didn't know what. The entire platoon had been pulled back to Bastion in anticipation of drawdown; he figured that they were roughly a month from decompression, and hadn't anticipated that they would be called into any further significant ops on the ground at this stage. He had been counting down the days until they got home, and he and Molly could establish just how they were going to move forward with their relationship.

He shook thoughts of Molly from his head as Morley approached. Captain James and Kinders were both handed identical folders, marked as '**Classified**', to read. The first name he saw was Badrai. A dossier on his movements, and intelligence detailing his place within the Taliban network. Details of his alleged crimes. Badrai was a much bigger fish than the boss had ever imagined. The dossier made for horrific reading, and he tried to shake the cold feeling of dread which entered his bloodstream.

There could only be one reason why they had been called to this meeting. Molly was the only one who had ever laid eyes on this animal.

_Fuck._

After giving them time to comprehend the magnitude of Badrai's role in the network of insurgents which they were trying so insistently to displace, Majors Beck and Morley set out just how keen the Americans were to capture him. He was effectively number one on the most wanted list in Afghan. None of this was reassuring Captain James.

As he feared, and suspected from the minute he saw Badrai's name on that dossier, it didn't take long for Molly to be mentioned.

"You understand of course, that your medic, Dawes, is going to be required in any mission to capture this guy?"Morley was staunch and authoritative in his statement. It was a rhetorical question, no answer required or anticipated.

_Double fuck._

"Excuse me?" his stomach was plummeting, although he already knew the response he would receive.

"Dawes is the only person who is able to give us a positive ID. She had eyes on Badrai months ago. This is a mission to capture, not kill, and we need to make sure that we have secured the correct target. Dawes is key to that."

Major Beck took over as Captain James attempted to mask the panic invading his body. "We need her prepared and ready for the task, and that's where you gentlemen come in. I'd appreciate if you could brief Dawes on the fact that her assistance is required. Obviously, the content of what has been disclosed today is confidential, but Dawes needs to appreciate that her role is vital here."

His brain was whirring as he tried to keep his personal horror out of this. This was exactly the reason why he shouldn't have let himself get into this too deeply before they got home. He was terrified at the prospect of any special forces mission which put her in danger.

"Major Beck, Major Morley, with all due respect, I appreciate why you need Dawes' assistance. However, as her CO, I have a duty of care to ensure she gets through this tour unharmed. I will be accompanying her on any mission to capture Badrai."

Morley was impressed by the steel in the eyes of the young captain; it was evident that he was determined to involve himself in this mission, so he permitted the request. "I'll leave it to you two to brief Dawes."

Morley and Beck took their leave from the meeting, leaving James to wonder how on earth he was going to deal with this.

:::::

He had forced Kinders to brief Molly alone on the mission; he didn't trust himself to maintain the required professionalism to see it through. He had to try and stay detached, if only for the duration of the mission. All going well, they would have Badrai under lock and key within 48 hours. He had to cling to that in the face of the terror which was currently engulfing him.

He caught up with Kinders again outside the mess tent; confirming that he had indeed briefed Molly as required. Morley had already informed him that the ASF had pinpointed a location, and were waiting on James and Molly so that they could depart. It didn't take long for him to spot her sitting with Qaseem. She was obviously trying to keep a brave face on matters. He wished he could hold her, and reassure her that things would be ok. He couldn't though. He had to be her CO right now, he owed her that much. He had to make sure that she would survive this unscathed. His memories were drawn back to the horrendous ordeal of Geraint's death. He had taken the loss like a hammer blow; it was devastating to lose a man, and he would blame himself for it until the day he died. He didn't think he would survive if the same fate awaited Molly.

He was lost in his thoughts when Molly approached him.

"Sometimes, I don't know how I'm able to keep my hands off you in public" she grinned, trying to engage him in some quiet flirting.

His brain tried to switch gears to allow him to respond; his mind was so deeply engaged in the potential danger of this mission that he had to scrabble around for a response. He cringed as he responded "Ditto".

_Jesus Christ, James, what the fuck was that?_ He had always been ridiculously inept at pick up lines, but that was poor even by his standards.

Molly was similarly unimpressed. "Ditto?! Bleedin' ditto! I was expecting something a bit more romantic than ditto, especially after the way you tortured me this morning! '_Stay with me!_'" she mocked. "Now where have I heard that recently..?!" She trailed off, eyes heavy with lust.

The memories were also flooding Captain James' brain. It wasn't helping him to maintain the sense of detachment he needed in order to get them both through this mission alive.

"Molly, I need to stay focused. Get you home in one piece. You're in my charge." He was trying to convince himself more than her. She had stopped flirting, looking scolded by his brusque effort to maintain some authority, so he continued "Afghan Special Forces think they've located Badrai. You need to go and get ready."

_Shit. This is getting real._

:::::

It got real indeed. The mission was atrocious from beginning to end. No Badrai, a punch in the face for Molly, and a feeling of utter helplessness from her Captain. It had taken every ounce of restraint in him not to flatten the bastard who had touched her. Molly had insisted that he wasn't to be harmed. He had been limited to a consoling pat on her shoulder when she was picking herself back up from the ground, her face bloody. Even that small moment of affection had the ASF guys looking at them curiously. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

::::::

Molly sat on a bench in the hospital ward waiting for her injuries to be tended to. She was trying to keep her head back to stem the steady flow of blood from her nose.

In an attempt to try and shove the events of the day from her head, she was focussing instead on a much better memory - the last time she had been inside the hospital facility. It had been their first night back at Bastion, when her and the boss accompanied Sohail on the MERT. She had been so devastated at the events of that day, that the boss had taken her to a locked room and done all sorts to her to try and clear her head. She tried to suppress a moan at the memory. They had shared the single most sensual experience of her life that night. Recalling it was definitely helping take her mind off getting clumped in the face by a teenage insurgent in a makeshift bomb factory.

Her lusty daydreams were interrupted by Jackie, carrying her kit, ready to stitch her up. They shared a look of mutual recognition at the absurdity of the situation, Jackie shaking her head with mirth at the state of Molly. She was such a tiny little thing, sat there with a great stonker of a bloody lip and nose.

"Well, you will go out on these secret missions..!" She implored jokingly.

They shared a bit of banter about Molly's "clump to the cakehole" before Jackie made an astute observation.

"You know...our neighbour used to have a little sign on his mantelpiece that said '_never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you_'. Never knew what it meant till I met you. You never look for trouble, but trouble just seems to find you, eh Molly Dawes?"

"Exactly" Molly agreed wholeheartedly.

"Just like you and Captain James?"

_Shit._

"You what? Did you get a clobber to the cakehole too Jacs? What you on about?" She desperately tried to maintain a neutral face.

Jackie tried not to giggle at Molly's transparent attempts to keep calm, as she teased her. "Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when I turned up here for my shift and spotted good old Captain James sneaking out of one of the on-call rooms, looking all pleased with himself."

Molly gulped. Where was she going with this?

"I was curious. Wondered what the hell he was up to. So I hung about for a couple of minutes. Saw you come out the same room 2 minutes later, creeping down the corridor, looking just as pleased with yourself as he had!" Molly's poker face was deserting her as panic set in.

"What's that about Molly? Having a Captain and medic meeting were you?" Jackie tried desperately to keep a straight face, and not let her shoulders shake with amusement as she wound Molly up.

Fuck, Jacs! You cannot tell a bleeding soul about this, promise me?!" Molly looked around them to check that nobody could overhear the conversation.

"Relax Molls" Jackie wiped a tear of laughter from her eye, having enjoyed her fun. "Your secret's safe with me!" She had no intention of telling anybody, but had been waiting for an opportunity to wind her mate up about it.

Molly let out a nervous breath - one that she wasn't even aware she had been holding in. "You're a mate. Thank you."

"Just one thing though?" Jackie hadn't quite had all of her merriment yet. She painted the most serious of expressions on her face to wind Molly up one more time.

"Yeah?"

Jackie stared at her seriously "Is he good?"

Silence. Molly stared at her in disbelief.

"Cos he looks like he'd be good!" Jackie continued. They both exploded with laughter at the absurdity of the situation, Molly's cheeks crimson with embarrassment.

"Oi! Cheeky mare!" She managed to splutter as they both howled with some much-needed hysterics.

::::::::

After ensuring that Molly went to get herself checked out at the hospital, Captain James was briefed by Morley on the attempts to interrogate the insurgents they had picked up that afternoon, including the young boy who had attacked Molly.

Their attempts to question the suspects were not yielding any new information. The youngest of the men clearly knew Molly, and Morley's latest great idea was to attempt to use her as bait to generate a reaction, and therefore information from their man.

James felt deeply uncomfortable about the whole situation, a feeling which was increasing ten-fold the further they became involved in the operation.

He had been asked to bring Dawes to the facility where the suspects were being held. He eventually found her, helping the others to unpack a truck and messing around with Smurf. Ordinarily, his jealousy may have prickled at the sight; right now though, he had far too many other things to concern him; principally how he was going to protect Molly in this situation. His ability to do so was rapidly coming to an end.

"Dawes. I need you"

He indicated to her with a nod of the head that she was needed elsewhere. Molly trailed after him towards the detention facilities, trying desperately to make small talk despite his monosyllabic answers.

"You looking forward to going home?" She ventured.

His breaths felt jagged in his chest. Little did she realise how soon that day would potentially arise, and "no" was his honest answer.

They reached the interrogation facilities, and Morley's plan was put into action. As they had suspected, Molly asked for permission to speak to the boy as soon as she discovered that he knew her. James had attempted, in vain, to keep her out of it, with no success whatsoever.

In the end, the plan had worked. The teenage boy had turned out to be Badrai's son: Bashira's brother. He clearly harboured a great deal of hatred for Molly, and his emotion led to an outburst giving them just the information they needed in order to track Badrai. He was on his way to Kabul, armed with explosives and determined to find Bashira. James was to lead 2 section on the joint mission to capture.

This would be their last mission, and in light of the action he had recently taken, would likely be his last mission ever. He would make sure it was a success. He would protect Molly.

Molly felt sick to her stomach. As she and the boss made their way back, she felt panic increasingly take over.

"I've destroyed that family! Instead of saving Bashira, I've put her in danger. He's going to get her, isn't he?"

"No" his face was grim as he responded to her. "We're going to support the ASF and make sure that doesn't happen."

His words were of no comfort, and Molly was becoming increasingly frantic. They had arrived at his quarters, and looking around to ensure nobody could see them, he pulled her inside.

"Listen to me Molly. This is not your fault. He tried to kill his own little girl, and you saved her." He was determined to get through to her. "I'm looking you in the eye and telling you this is not your fault."

She was beginning to calm down, and he continued. "If anyone is to blame for any of this mess, it's me. I haven't been acting as your CO Molly, I've been acting as the man that loves you. I shouldn't have let things get this out of hand whilst lives are at stake."

He looked tormented, and she moved towards him, desperate to comfort him as he had done to her.

"I need to tell you something." He started as he looked at the floor disconsolately.

"Sssh. It can wait. Just come here." He looked into her expressive green eyes, losing himself for a minute. She had this ability to wipe his mind clear. One look in her eyes and he could clear the doubts, the reminders of his failures. She burrowed her way into his arms, their bodies fitting together perfectly. They held onto each other tightly, willing the rest of the world to disappear. Their perfect moment of peace was disturbed with an insistent knock on the door of the cabin.

"Captain James" the voice of Major Beck boomed from the entrance.

They sprung apart, swinging into action as they quickly realised that Molly would have to hide. She had a flash of inspiration and snuck into his wardrobe, hidden amongst the neat row of uniforms. A fresh sense of dread enveloped Captain James; he knew exactly why the Major was here, and he didn't want Molly to hear the conversation. Not yet. This was all going completely tits up.

As he closed the door to the wardrobe, he took one last look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Molly"

A sense of confusion overtook Molly as she sat in the darkness. Why is he sorry? She sat amongst his clothes, inhaling desperately as she took in the scent permeating the air around her. It all smelt of him, she was surrounded by the boss stuck in here.

She heard him let the Major in. There were no formalities, no small talk. The Major blustered towards Captain James, holding an A4 sheet of paper with immaculate handwriting.

"Do you care to tell me just what the bloody hell this is Captain?!" he gestured to the letter, clearly furious.

"It's my letter of resignation, Sir. I'm resigning my commission."

::::::


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note - happy new year everybody! Next chapter has jumped ahead by a day from where we left off, although there are a couple of flashbacks to fill in where the time has passed. We are now coming pretty close to the tail end of the story - I think there is one, possibly two, more chapters left depending on how much time I get! Hope you enjoy - please R&R!**

::::::

Jackie Woodward was an experienced combat medic. She was on her third tour of Afghanistan, and had witnessed some truly horrific sights. However, none of her training or experience prepared her for the shock she felt when the MERT team landed on the heli-pad at Bastion that fateful morning.

She waited, crouching as they approached, the still whirring rotor blades providing an unusual chill in the Afghan air. Her attention was immediately drawn to Captain James, laid out unconscious on a stretcher, bloodied and clearly in a serious condition.

Another look. Smurf was on the other stretcher. Whilst he was injured, and clearly traumatised, he was at least conscious. Although from the looks of him, he'd prefer not to be.

"What the hell happened?" Jackie managed to compose herself, training kicking in. The medical team, gauging that James was in a more critical condition, ushered his stretcher towards the hospital facilities first.

"Mission with the ASF to capture an American target went wrong. The target took both men out" one of the young medics pulling the captain towards Jackie explained as they ran urgently towards the building.

He continued as they made their way closer "Captain James has two gunshot wounds, one to the abdomen, one to the leg. Heart stopped twice on the chopper, CPR administered successfully both times. The abdominal wound was packed at the scene, thankfully, or he wouldn't have made it this far." Jackie tried to maintain a clear head. This was just about as serious as it could get. He was in trouble.

The young medic continued his briefing "Private Smith has one gunshot wound to the shoulder, gunshot wound given initial treatment at the scene."

_Oh, dear god._ Jackie said a small, silent prayer for both men, and wished with all her being that someone up there was listening to her.

The dedicated medical team worked silently and seamlessly as they came together to stabilise the Captain. It was a well rehearsed routine, one that they had to perform all too often on critically injured colleagues. The regularity with which the routine was performed made it no less difficult on each occasion it was required.

Smurf watched their silent work, quiet tears rolling down his pallid cheeks as he took in the gravity of the situation.

_This is all my fault._

He cursed himself internally, the guilt gripping his heart as he cast his mind back to the fateful events. Had it really only been an hour or two ago? It felt like a lifetime.

_They had been stuck in that godforsaken disused compound for hours, waiting on the truck that was transporting Badrai to Kabul. Molly was setting up the medical facility in a tiny offshoot of the building. She had been acting really weird, all quiet and withdrawn. Not like his Molly. Well, she wasn't his Molly yet, but things were getting back to normal after his declaration of his feelings for her. That had to be a start, didn't it?_

_He had tried to cheer her up with a little bit of banter until the boss came in and shooed him out. There was a weird tension between the two of them; he was beginning to think Molly was about to get a bollocking for something. Except the way they were acting with each other was the opposite; like she was annoyed with him. He couldn't place what had gone on, but he was curious to know._

_He knew full well that Molly fancied the pants of the boss; he wasn't stupid! He had seen the looks she cast in his direction when he was working out in the gym; the way she bit her lip and didn't take her eyes off him when they sang that duet. It was only natural. Christ, he was a straight man and even he had a bit of a crush on the boss, for fuck's sake!_

_That's all it was, a crush. He could deal with that. Him and Molly had something way more than just a crush. They were best mates. He loved her._

_So why, when he stood close to the door could he hear them talk in hushed tones? He was apologising for something. He was holding her hand. Why the fuck was he holding her hand?!_

_It got worse. He could just about make out through the hushed whispers that the boss was saying something about giving up. What the hell was he saying? He leaned closer to the door. It edged open slightly._

_"Listen to me. I haven't given up on you, on us. Don't ever believe that. The only reason I'm still here is to get you home alive." He was leaning in close, way too close. Smurf felt sick to his stomach._

_"I love you so much. Don't forget that."_

_The sick feeling was replaced by deep, intense fury. It got worse when Molly responded, eyes locked with the boss._

_"Ditto"_

_As he saw them seal their declarations with a kiss, slow and intense, the fury radiated from deep within him. His legs couldn't hold out anymore. He sank to the dusty floor of the building. It felt like a prison cell._

_He couldn't remember much past that point; just the white hot, searing anger,_

_the pain. He wouldn't forget the image of that kiss for as long as he lived._

_Things were moving all of a sudden; the truck was there, they were out of the building, the hot sun compounding his fury as a cold sweat ran down his back. That fucking bastard! He had fucking ruined everything. It all got a bit jumbled after that. There was a guy watching him, some Taliban prick standing with his goat. Laughing at him. He would fucking show him._

_Next thing he knew, all hell was breaking loose. The boss was screaming at him. How fucking dare he scream at him; this was all his fault!_

_More gunshots. The boss was on the deck, screaming. Smurf felt like he wasn't in possession of his body; had he been hit? All of a sudden, Molly was there, she was pulling him down. The pain registered. Was it his heart, or had he been shot? What the fuck was going on?_

Jackie watched Smurf, struggling to get his head around the events of that morning. She was shaken from her observations by Captain James on the other bed, semi-conscious and clearly distressed. He was struggling against the wires and medical equipment being used to stabilise his condition. He needed to calm down.

She rushed to his side, trying her hardest to console him. He was trying desperately to speak, terrified eyes flashing around the room.

"Molly...where's Molly" he managed to strain the raspy words from his dry throat.

"Molly's fine, Sir. You need to calm down. She's fine, I promise." Jackie tried to shut this down; all too aware of the repercussions if any of their colleagues were to find out about the relationship between captain and medic. She could see from the terror in his eyes, that he cared deeply for Molly.

He seemed somewhat reassured by her words, and passed into a fitful slumber, the morphine beginning to take effect. He was stable enough to be moved, and the team began the transfer of the two patients to the intensive care unit where they would stay until they were then stable enough to be transferred back to the UK.

Jackie was deeply aware that Captain James' condition was touch and go; if he managed to make it back home in one piece it would be nothing short of a miracle. Was it really only yesterday that she and Molly had sat not far from this room, howling with laughter when Jackie had teased her about her encounter with the captain? She wished she could be transported back to that time.

::::

A short while later, Molly sat alone in Captain James' quarters. She sobbed quietly, still in shock as she tried to make sense of it all. As soon as they landed, she had run as fast as her legs could take her, to the hospital. Jackie had stopped her as they were rushing him on a trolley through the hospital.

He was covered in tubes and blood, she could hardly make out his beautiful face underneath the mess. Jackie hadn't been able to give her any words of comfort, her face said it all.

_I'm going to lose him._

She tortured herself. She _was_ going to lose him, and it was her own fault. That bullet was meant for her.

The last time she had been in this cabin, she was hidden inside the tiny wardrobe, listening to the boss and Major Beck go back and forth about that bloody letter of resignation. It all seemed so stupid now.

Beck was having none of it, he refused to accept it. The Major was absolutely livid. She didn't have to see him to make out the anger in his voice. He was furious that one of his best officers wanted to walk out when he was only a month away from completing his fourth tour, and on the verge of bringing in a significant American target in Badrai.

He wasn't the only one who was bothered. Molly was gutted. He was trying to give up; on the army, potentially on them. She just couldn't understand why. He had been acting off all day, ever since the mission to capture Badrai had come to light. She had even asked him outright earlier in the day if he was regretting them, if he thought it was a mistake. He hadn't answered. She felt empty at the thought of carrying on here without him.

She would have to now. There was no choice.

She had told Kinders she would square away the Boss' kit. He was quick to tell her to sanitise it - he didn't want the Bossman's mum to find a hidden stash of porn anywhere. She assumed he meant his mum anyway. He had mentioned 'Mrs James' - he could have meant Rebecca. She wasn't sure how much Kinders knew about the bossman and the divorce. She didn't want to put her foot in it by letting on how much she knew. So she nodded and headed to his cabin.

_I shouldn't have come here._

Everything in the small room conjured up a memory in her brain. She tried to busy herself, sorting though the papers in his desk. As she flicked through his paperwork, a brightly coloured card fell out. It was a handmade birthday card, made by Sam.

Her troubles briefly forgotten, a wry smile lit up her face as she recalled the first time she had seen the card.

..

_They had been back at Bastion for a couple of days when Major Beck requested that detailed fitness reports for each member of the section were filed with him. Molly and the boss would be required to collaborate to complete the reports, with any pertinent medical details being taken into account._

_The pair sat in the Boss' quarters, files scattered over the wooden desk as they worked. Captain James cut a relaxed figure as he slouched on his chair, ankles crossed as his feet rested on the desk. Molly was in the remaining chair at the opposite side of the desk, legs crossed in her lap as she worked on a report. They worked well together, companionable silence broken from time to time by secret sidelong glances at each other, laughing childishly whenever the other's gaze was discovered._

_They had been at it for a couple of hours when Molly hit her boredom threshold. Paperwork had never been something she could get her head round; it was the worst part of the job as far as she was concerned. She exhaled an exaggerated sigh as she purposefully slammed one of the folders against the desk._

_James looked up from his lap, amused at her childlike efforts to assert her boredom. "Bored, Dawes?"_

_"You bloody bet I am boss, this is painful! Who wants to write a bleedin' report about Mansfield's verrucas anyway? More to the point, who wants to read about them?!"_

_As he laughed, she caught sight of a card on the desk amongst the folders in front of him. It was a handmade birthday card, with a child's drawing of a cake on the front. She hadn't noticed it in his cabin before._

_"Is that new?" She gestured to the card, wondering if Sam had made it._

_"Yep."_

_Her curiosity was piqued by his cagey attitude, and she looked at him expectantly for further information. He sighed as he realised he wasn't going to get away with this. "It arrived yesterday, from Sam." He continued to write in the file as he gave her as little information as he could reasonably get away with._

_The crumbs of information weren't enough for her "It's cute. When's your birthday, boss?" It suddenly occurred to her how very little she actually knew about him._

_"It's today, actually." He grimaced as he disclosed the very information he was trying to keep quiet._

_"It's your birthday and you didn't say anything?! Why not? How old are you?" she was definitely curious now._

_Great. The conversation he decidedly didn't want to have. He cleared his throat as he looked at her nervously "I'm 30, as of today."_

_The reluctant look on his face as he disclosed his age had her cracking up. "Bloody hell boss, no wonder you don't wanna talk about it - you're practically a geriatric!"_

_"Alright Dawes, that's quite enough of the piss taking, thank you. Wouldn't want you up on a charge for insolence" he tried to continue with his work, ignoring his sheepishness at disclosing just how much older than her he was._

_There was no stopping her now though. "Don't even know what that means boss. Would that be cheek to my elders? My Nan always was giving me earache about that! You two would get on you know, you're not far off her age!"_

_She had him there. He sat up straight in his chair, slamming the file down with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Is that right Dawesy?"_

_Molly smirked as she achieved her goal. Finally, he was paying attention. She rose from the chair and made her way over to the boss. He was weighing up the competition. Should he engage, or should he let her have this one?_

_"Seriously though boss, happy birthday. __You should have told me. I could have got you something" she placed herself on the desk in front of him, clearing the files from her path to perch on the desk, legs dangling over the edge._

_Decision made. She can take this as far as she wants._

_"Don't need anything, I've already got everything I want." He looked at her with honesty in his eyes before he sat back again and grinned. It lit up his face. This was the most relaxed she had seen him in weeks, and she wanted to savour it._

_"Everything, boss.?" She had a gleam in her eye. He knew where this was headed. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation, the nerve endings throughout his body prickling on edge. __"Well. I suppose there is one thing I could do with having. A present I'd really like to unwrap" he grinned as he stood from the chair, leaning over her petite frame and allowing her legs to straddle him as she continued to perch on the desk._

_"Ain't that one of your euphemism things?" She leaned back on her dainty wrists before she stretched her legs out behind him, locking her ankles behind him to pull him closer. She could already feel how hard he was as she pulled him closer, and bit back a moan in anticipation. He didn't need to do much to have an effect on her insides; she was quivering like jelly at his physical proximity to her._

_He breathed out a laugh as he picked up the end of her French plait, pulling it free so that her long brown hair hung freely over her shoulders. "You're learning, Molly." She made no move to stop him as he silently undressed her. He took his time, admiring every part of her as he disrobed her; adorning each new discovery with brief kisses to her bare skin. She shivered with delight as he touched her._

_He wasn't allowed to have all the fun though. She pulled the hem of his shirt, drawing him even closer to her, before placing her hand under it to touch his warm skin. She traced the defined muscles on his stomach, fingernails following the delicate trail of hair that led all the way down. She licked her lips; he would be the death of her. She would never tire of touching him. __She fumbled with his belt buckle before letting his trousers fall to the floor. A switch flicked in James. He was suddenly impatient; he needed her. She was like a drug to him, it terrified him at times._

_He shrugged his shirt from his broad shoulders, pushing her back on the desk as he discarded the material on the floor. She giggled as she felt the hard wood of the desk against her naked back, feeling like a little kid on a sugar high. "I could get used to a desk job if this was involved boss!" Her legs still dangled from the desk, wrapped around him._

_"Molly?"_

_"Yes boss?"_

_"Shut the fuck up, and let me enjoy my present!"_

_She giggled, slapping his arm playfully. He leaned over her, kissing her deeply in a more successful attempt to shut her up. The time for jokes was over, and their kisses became deeper, more heated and urgent. He could stay like this forever, he mused as he touched her. His hands had found her full, smooth breasts and he attended to them carefully as she writhed below him on the desk, arching her lower back just to be closer to him. Her core jumped and throbbed as he kissed and fondled her; the throbs becoming almost unbearable as he continued. Her drenched underwear stuck to her. A moan escaped her and she bit her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying out any further._

_He sensed she was ready for him; he could feel her underwear soak his leg as she pushed against him, willing him to touch her. He pulled the material from between her legs and she moaned in anticipation, eyes still squeezed shut._

_"Open your eyes Molly. Look at me." She forced herself to focus on his eyes as she felt him fill her slowly, completely. They maintained steady eye contact as they moved together in a perfect rhythm. __Files were falling from the desk as they slammed against it; neither cared._

_Molly was the first to succumb to their urgent thrusts. His hands were gripped against her backside, her back flush against the wooden desk when he suddenly placed a hand between their bodies, flicking her clitoris as he timed his strokes. The sudden change floored her. She felt like she had fallen off the edge of the steepest cliff, falling through the air, paralysed by pleasure. He watched her face scrunch with delight as she came, breathing his name quietly. It sent him over the edge with her, and he groaned with deep pleasure as he buckled, legs shaking as he tried to stay upright._

_He was physically spent, and he pulled her back into his lap as he sought the comfort of the chair he had discarded earlier. They were breathless and moist with sweat. He was sure she was going to kill him with pleasure one day._

_She sniggered as she burrowed in his lap. "Best have a seat boss, you ain't gettin' any younger after all."_

_"Cheeky cow!" he made no move to get up as he enjoyed feeling her in his arms._

_That was indeed a birthday present to remember._

::::::

The warm familiarity of the cabin was no longer comforting her; the memories flooding her senses were too much, it was all still too raw. She packed his kit as efficiently as she could manage in the circumstances and left, taking in the small cabin as she walked out the door. She had spent some of the happiest moments of her life in here with him. A stray tear rolled down her cheek as she left.

Making her way across the compound disconsolately, she came across Qaseem.

He was dressed in his civvies; looked like a teacher, all prepped up in his chinos and shirt. She tried to raise a smile for him - he was getting out of here, at least. He didn't look delighted by the prospect.

They shared some small talk about the tour coming to an end and decompression in Cyprus before he looked at her knowingly. He didn't need to say anything, and she teared up instantly from the look of concern on his face.

"He is a fighter Molly"

"Some things you can't fight Qaseem. You saw the state he was in" she choked up as reality hit her "how am I meant to go on without him, as if it never happened. As if we never happened?"

Qaseem was devastated for her. He knew that she and the captain were in love; he had called her out months ago on it. He didn't want her to know the pain of losing the one you love. That pain was a constant companion for him; it never lessened, it just became normality.

He lifted her tiny hand with his own. "Whilst there is still hope, you cannot lose it. Believe in him. He will come back to you." He covered the hand he was holding with his remaining hand, and gave it a tight squeeze, trying to convey just how much he would miss this lovely girl who had made such an impact on him.

"Goodbye Molly Dawes" he whispered.

::::

Molly eventually reached the hospital building, steeling herself for what she may find. She knew what she had to do. As she roamed down the corridors purposefully; she spotted the person she needed - Jackie was walking towards her, bloodied apron still on her chest, exhaustion apparent on her face.

Molly couldn't bear it any longer "Please tell me he's alive Jack. Please?"

"He's alive Molly" Jackie removed the apron from her body and wordlessly pulled Molly towards her. Both women had endured horrors that they didn't want to speak of. The memories of this day would haunt them. For now it was cast aside as they shared a tight hug.

Molly was the first to break it off. "I need to see him"

:::

Jackie had managed to take her to the room where he was waiting to be transferred back to the UK. Molly shook as she approached the bed, monitors beeping steadily as he lay unconscious. She only had 2 minutes, Jackie was taking a chance letting her anywhere near the room as it was.

Her tears were flowing freely as she touched his hair, trying desperately to keep it together. She had to do as Qaseem had said; she had to believe that he would make it. The alternative wasn't an option.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered as she stroked the thick curls on his head. "This is all my fault. You'll be ok though. I promise you. You need to go home and let the doctors fix you up. I'll come back to you, I promise" she managed to whisper before she broke down in quiet sobs.

Jackie returned to the room. "I'm so sorry Molls but you need to go; they need to take him now. He'll be in the best hands, I promise"

Molly watched from afar as he was wheeled down the corridor, her heart heavy with pain.

_Come back to me boss_

:::::::::


	10. Chapter 10

The slow, steady beep of a machine by his hospital bedside had become Captain James' constant companion. He didn't know how long he had been here, didn't remember exactly how he had ended up in Birmingham, in a hospital bed. Things were hazy; he was unsure which of the images swirling in his brain were dreams, and which were memories. The one thing that was ever present, reassuring, consistent, was that beep.

Nothing else had been consistent: nothing else predictable. How long had he been here? Why? The days and nights were merging into one, and endless questions swirled in his brain, but he couldn't find the ability to force them from his mouth. His mother had been here; holding his hand from a chair at his bedside and weeping quietly. He could hear her trying to be strong. He wanted to reassure her, to give her something, but whenever he tried to focus his brain enough to act, nothing seemed to work the way he needed it to.

Rebecca had been here too; her sobbing was louder, more vocal. She was angry. Words about how he had put himself in danger, he was selfish, he would leave Sam without a father. He wanted to argue back, to tell her that he loved Sam, he didn't want to leave him. But the words never came.

He had another companion from time to time in his silent torment. Molly. His Molly. She was ever present in his brain, but sometimes he swore he could see her for real, looking in the window by the door, green eyes peering in the glass, her smile radiant. He knew he would see those eyes again in person; feel her smile light up the room. Hope flickered in his heart at the thought.

In the meantime, the beep was there. That continued, slow and steady. Wasn't that what his dad had always told him when he was just a boy, always eager to rush on and jump to the next thing?

'_Slow and steady, wins the race Charles'_

:::

Molly sat in the sand, sun beating down on her shoulders. Those shoulders were heavy with worry, exhaustion etched on her young face. She had barely slept since they arrived in Cyprus for decompression. She needed to get out of here, and back to the UK as soon as possible.

While they were still at Bastion, Jackie had at least been able to keep her up to date with what was going on with the bossman back in Birmingham. Through a sheer lucky break, Jackie had a mate who worked as a nurse in ICU; she had managed to provide regular updates on his condition. Not that much had changed.

_Critical but stable_. The same report every day. He was still unconscious. _Critical but stable. _The doctors were keeping him heavily sedated to aid his recovery.

Since she arrived in Cyprus, 24 hours ago, she had heard nothing. Anxiety was clawing at her insides, the fear that something could happen to him whilst she was completely unaware was tearing her apart. Flashbacks of the shooting were invading her mind constantly, Badrai's cold hard eyes boring into her brain.

It was ironic, she was sitting in paradise whilst trapped in hell.

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, willing the memories and the worries to disperse. Kinders watched her from a distance, concern furrowing his brow. Molly was a wreck.

He sat down beside her, sighing to alert her to his presence. Her eyes flew open at the invasion of her personal space. He didn't want to have this conversation any more than she did, but it was his responsibility to take care of her in the bossman's absence.

Even if it meant disclosing more than he cared to admit to.

"There are people here that you can talk to you know Molly?"

"Yeah I know that boss, I got that lot of piss taking wankers over there" she gestured to the remaining members of 2 section. They were playing volleyball on the beach, young and carefree as they messed around. Molly wished she could forget her troubles and join them.

"I mean to properly talk to. Professionally. You've been through a traumatic time. It's understandable that you're struggling."

"I'm fine. I'm in one piece"

He sighed again. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. "Molly. Stop. You don't have to pretend with me, you know?"

She looked at him quizzically. "What you on about? I'm not pretending about anything. I'm still in one piece, aren't I?"

"I know. About you and the bossman, that is." At her pained look, he continued "Come on Molls, it was pretty obvious that you two were loved up. Looking back, I don't have a clue how nobody else picked up on it, or how I didn't realise any sooner."

"How long have you known?" she was comforted by the possibility of being able to share her pain with somebody else. The inability to talk to anybody about what she was going through was slowly killing her.

"Had my suspicions for a while about you two, but I only realised for sure when we were briefed on the mission to capture Badrai. He was devastated, made me brief you on the plan when it should have been him. That's not the bossman's style. I realised at that point he was in it further than he should have been."

"It's my fault. If I hadn't have got involved with Bashira, or with the bossman, none of this would have happened. He would be here now, playing volleyball with that load of tossers, shouting at them for not playing by the rules."

"You can't think like that Molls. Trust me. It'll eat you up eventually if you do."

She was unconvinced. He continued, determined to get his point across. "It's chance Molly, that's all. The boss would tell you that if he was here. You know, the morning that Smurf's brother, Geraint was taken out by the Taliban; I was supposed to be on that patrol. I twisted my ankle messing about playing football with the other lads, got taken to get it checked out. Geraint told me not to worry, that he would go in my place. It was the last time I saw him."

Silent tears ran down Molly's cheek as she listened. She knew how much Geraint's death had left a gaping hole in the section. She hadn't appreciated that Kinders also had a cross to bear in relation to it.

"I blamed myself; that bullet should have hit me. But the boss, he was adamant that it was all chance, all fate. He told me that Geraint would have been gutted to see what I was doing to myself, tearing myself apart for something that wasn't my fault. He was right Molly."

Molly sniffed through her tears as she tried to communicate her misery. "I miss him so much. How am I supposed to stay here, not knowing what's happening? He could be dead and I wouldn't know anything about it."

"He's not dead. At least he wasn't an hour ago when I spoke to Major Beck."

Molly's eyes flashed with a range of emotions as she rushed to get her words out. "You've spoken to Beck? How? What did he say?"

Kinders looked down, his eyes fixed on the sand beneath them. This was the part of the conversation he had dreaded the most. "He needs another operation. His recovery isn't going as well as they had hoped – he couldn't tell me any more than that. But Molly, we know him. He's the bossman. He will get through this, I know it."

She gulped as the tears threatened to overwhelm her, stinging the back of her eyes. "I need to get back to him Kinders. You've got to help me, please?"

"Well, Molly, that's where I'm one step ahead of you.."

::::

Kinders had been as good as his word. He had spoken to Major Beck and had their decompression shortened; they had been flown back to Brize Norton two days after she discovered that the Boss' condition had deteriorated.

She sat in the back of Nan's hired Corsa, listening to the rain patter against the window, and the windscreen wipers move back and forth as they raced down the motorway. The sound of rain felt so foreign to her after months in the dry desert. She wondered if this place would ever feel normal to her again.

"Cheer up Molls, shouldn't you be happy to be back home?" she stared straight ahead as she willed her Dad to stop trying to make conversation with her, but he wouldn't be dissuaded and continued. "How come you have to go all the way to Birmingham to check on this Captain of yours anyway? It's a liberty, considering you're just home - can't they let you have a few days off?"

"I want to check on him, they're not making me. The only reason he's even in a hospital bed is cos of me." her reply was robotic. She couldn't handle this conversation. She was so close to getting to him; she just needed to get through this sodding car journey first. All of a sudden, the noises of the rain didn't seem so bad. She didn't want to talk.

:::

Margaret James was a woman who knew how to cope. She had taken everything that life ever had to throw at her and survived. Certainly, she had been born into a life more privileged than the average person, but she had endured her fair share of heartache nonetheless. She remained calm in manner, always practical, always ready for the next challenge.

When her only son had arrived home barely out of his teens and announced his intention to join the Army, her heart had sunk into the depths of her chest. He was only a boy, her boy. The worry of letting her boy out into the big, bad world was bad enough; now he was intentionally placing himself in the most serious danger in the name of his country?

But she had coped. She had learned to live with the constant fear that bubbled in her chest. Whenever the phone rang at an unexpected hour, or the door announced the arrival of an unknown visitor, that fear had threatened at times to escape; to bubble over. But she kept on top of it, always managing to present that calm exterior.

Until that night two weeks ago. She should have known it was coming. Her husband was away on a business trip, due to return that evening. Her first thought when she heard the doorbell was that he must have misplaced his keys. She made her way down the hallway, ready to lecture him for his forgetfulness. Why hadn't it occurred to her? She had allowed herself to forget the constant threat. She was not prepared.

As soon as she saw them, she crumpled. Two men in grey suits, were only here for one reason at this time of night. The fateful day had sneaked upon her, with no warning of its arrival.

The time since that moment had passed by, marked only by a continuous cycle of fear and dread. She was no longer a willing participant in her own life, events continued around her regardless. She had kept her vigil by his bedside, life support monitors reassuring her that he was, at least, alive. Her little boy was alive.

He would wake from time to time, confused and disorientated, trying to speak. She tried her hardest to reassure him that he was going to make it.

She hoped to god that she wasn't a liar.

This was the fifteenth day. It was already distinct in her brain because he wasn't here. Every other day had been marked with her by his bedside; reading, talking, weeping. This morning, he had been taken to theatre. The doctors had explained to her that he was still bleeding internally, and they needed to act now to prevent any further damage. She sat in the empty room, helpless and alone.

When she looked up, a pair of eyes met hers. The girl looking back at her was a mass of contradictions. A tiny frame, submerged in camouflage. She looked like a little girl playing dress up in an Action Man costume. Her green eyes held the same haunted look that she recognised from her own. Was this girl looking for Charles?

She felt a sudden compulsion to speak to the mysterious squaddie, and rose from her chair, out into the hospital corridor. The girl looked nervous. They stared at each other, neither sure how to break the silence. Margaret broke it first.

"Are you here for Charles?"

"I..I... yes, I am. They told me he was having an operation." the girl looked as though she was on the verge of a panic attack. Margaret's motherly instinct took over, and she led her to the row of chairs behind them in the corridor. She had something to focus on, another person to speak to. It was a relief.

"That's right dear, he'll be a few hours. They've only just taken him."

"Sorry, you must want some time alone. I'll go. I mean, I'll come back when he...Oh god, I don't know what to do."

"How about you tell me your name. There's a good place to begin."

The girl looked up at her, clearly trying to compose herself. "I'm Molly. Molly Dawes. I was in Afghanistan with the boss."

As soon as she heard the name, Margaret recalled it. So, this was Molly. Charles had mentioned her in a number of letters home, just little mentions of stories from around the compound, but she had taken note of it at the time. He had certainly regaled stories before, but he had never gone so far as to include names. The name had again permeated her consciousness when the men in grey suits arrived. They had explained the extent of Charles' injuries, and confirmed that the treatment administered to Charles on the ground by none other than Molly Dawes had unquestionably saved her son's life.

Margaret realised that Molly was watching her, waiting for a response. She had been silent for a number of minutes, connecting the dots in her brain. Suddenly, she realised that this girl was the one who had brought her boy back to her. She had saved him. She couldn't hold back, and pulled Molly towards her for the tightest of hugs.

"You brought him back to me. I will never be able to repay you."

With that, both women were overcome with the emotion of the moment, and succumbed to their tears.

::::

The next few hours passed relatively quickly, both women comforted by the presence of the other on the lonely hospital ward. They had initially been cautious with each other; unsure of how to proceed. The caution had dissolved quickly as they shared anecdotes about the man they had in common. Margaret had been appalled to hear the story of how Molly had been threatened with being lobbed from the plane on day 1 of her tour. Molly had laughed at the expression on Margaret's face when she recounted the tale. She could barely believe it was only six months ago that he had taken such an initial dislike to her.

He had explained subsequently to Molly that it hadn't indeed been an instant dislike; that was the problem. From the first moment he had set eyes on her, he knew he was in trouble. Molly left that part of the story out of her explanation to Margaret, but nonetheless defended her man, explaining that she had probably deserved a bollocking anyway for her attitude.

As they spoke, Margaret recognised the beam which emanated from Molly when she shared her stories. It was obvious to her that Molly was besotted with her son. She wondered if Charles felt the same way. The only woman he had ever brought home was Rebecca, and what a disaster that had turned out to be. Rebecca was a nice enough woman, certainly, but it had been obvious to her from the outset that the two were not well matched. Charles was warm-hearted and outwardly demonstrative, whilst Rebecca had a much more reserved, controlled manner. The differences did not end there, and it had come as no surprise to anybody when they had split up. She allowed herself to feel a warm ray of hope that perhaps her son had found somebody to love.

Darkness had fallen on them when at long last, the hospital bed was wheeled back into the room. The doctor who accompanied him was cautious, but optimistic. He explained that the next 12 hours would be critical in determining how to proceed. His hope was that the Captain would regain consciousness within that time.

Both women waited anxiously, neither willing to leave his side. Eventually Molly spoke up and persuaded Margaret that she needed to rest, not only for her own sake, but for her son. He would wake soon, and he would need his mum to be fully functioning when he did. She took notice of that one, and agreed to get some rest.

Molly stayed by his side, drifting to sleep in the chair by his bed as she took comfort from his presence. When she finally woke from her slumber, daylight was beginning to shine into the windows. She blinked as her eyes got used to the change, and looked at him.

His eyes were open, filled with tears as he watched her. Her own tears soon matched his, neither able to utter a word.

"Molly" he managed to choke the syllables from his dry throat.

"Shhhhh, don't try and speak" she was at his side in a beat, pressing the button to call for the nurses attention.

::::::

Margaret rounded the corridor as she made her daily trip to the room containing her son. As she peeked in the glass, she saw a sight which warmed her heart to the brim. He was awake, and holding Molly in his arms, tears freely flowing down both of their faces.

At that moment, the fear holding her body in a grip lessened, and started to flow away. She could breathe.

Her baby boy was going to make it.

::::::

Neither Molly nor Captain James were aware of Margaret's eyes watching them as they clung to each other. Molly's hands ran through the hair on his head, stroking it and giving a silent thanks to whatever god had allowed him to come back to her.

"I don't think I could have lived with myself if I'd managed to get you killed."

He closed his eyes, sensing her needless guilt. "It wasn't your fault, I was the officer. I failed you. And the rest of the platoon.

"You didn't fail anybody"

"I did. I meant what I said out there. I'm resigning my commission. It happened on my watch." he was determined, she knew there would be no talking him out of it this time.

"What are you gonna do?

"I'm not sure. I do know one thing though. We can finally be together - no more hiding in the shadows. There's nothing in our way anymore." he took her hand and kissed it gently. "I love you."

::::

Outside the room, Margaret was joined in her observations by a man she had met only once before. She recognised him immediately.

"Corporal Kinders"

"Mrs James. It's good to see you again, although obviously not under these circumstances." he observed Molly and the boss holding each other tightly, relieved that they had finally reunited.

"They're in love." It wasn't a question, merely an observation from Margaret. Kinders nodded regardless.

"They are indeed" he sighed, knowing that he would have to disturb them, and hating himself for it. "I need to get Molly back to barracks. Questions are starting to be asked, and I need to make sure there are no repercussions, for her or the boss."

It had taken some convincing, but Molly was eventually persuaded by the panel of three that she needed to leave. Her refusal had initially been staunch and unrelenting, wavering only when the boss interjected.

"Jesus Dawes, this is like R&R all over again. Do I need to send you for bloody coffee capsules again?"

With that, Molly dissolved in a fit of giggles "Well seeing you're back boss. Only been awake for an hour and you're already taking the piss. I'll be happy to go back to barracks at this rate."

Margaret watched the interplay with delight. She hadn't seen this playful side of her son for a long, long time. It was as though he had come back to her in more sense than one today.

Molly and Kinders eventually took their leave, their captain watching every step as they departed.

She had come back to him. Now, he just needed to get himself fit and well again.

They were almost there.

::::::

The weeks that followed were long and painful, both physically with his recovery, and mentally, being parted from Molly yet again. She had returned to barracks, with the opportunity to take her leave to visit Birmingham only once a week. The visits that they did manage to have were short and sweet, punctuated by relief at being able to hold and touch each other. He was desperate to do much more than hold her, but was under strict orders not to over-exert himself.

Exactly one month on from Molly's arrival back in the country, he was discharged from hospital. They were finally free to be together. They had decided to celebrate by having their first ever date; dinner in his hometown of Bath. His parents had thankfully been wise to his plan to be alone with Molly, and had taken off for a weekend trip to provide some much needed privacy for the pair.

He awaited her arrival at the restaurant nervously, fingers tapping against the menu with nervous energy. That had all dissipated the moment she walked into the restaurant, taking his breath away with her appearance. She looked absolutely breathtaking. It was all he could do not to throw her over one of the tables and have his wicked way with her there and then. Instead, they chatted about everything and nothing, taking the time to exist in each other's presence.

There was a nervous energy building between them throughout the meal, one that only increased as they continued to banter and enjoy each other's company. Her foot had made its way under the table to his 'good' leg, and she rubbed it absentmindedly. He shifted in his seat, knowing that the atmosphere was switching. He watched her as she sipped her wine and placed the glass back on the table before leaning forward.

"I'm desperate to kiss you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stop" she confessed with a whisper.

He leaned forward to match her, wondering just why he felt so nervous. "My parents are at Lake Garda. The house is empty." Molly let out a giggle at the intense look on his face.

"What's funny? There is nothing funny about that."

"It's just the way you said it, like you were desperate to lure me back" his gaze was turning her stomach inside out as he looked at her seriously. Eventually, he responded, his voice low with lust "Well, did it work?"

She bit her lip, still feeling flirtatious. "Well, I thought I was gonna have to go halves on a Travelodge."

::::

They entered the front door of the large townhouse. She tried her hardest to conceal the concern on her face as she took in the majesty of the building, her sense of unease growing the more she saw. He registered that she was uncomfortable, and grabbed her hand from where he stood behind her, hoping to provide some reassurance.

Panic set in the further Molly ventured; this was on a whole other scale from what she had imagined. She knew he was posh, but this house - it was insane! When he grabbed her hand and she turned around to look at him, the look of undiluted lust in his eyes nearly floored her. Suddenly, the size of the house was forgotten. She had waited so long to see that look back in his eyes. He had a gleaming sparkle in them that she hadn't witnessed in far too long. He was back.

He looked her up and down, slowly, taking care to memorise every element of her appearance from head to toe. She was stunning, and he was having trouble keeping his thoughts under control. He had dreamt of this moment for months. They were finally free to be together without constraint, and he was going to make damn sure that they both enjoyed it.

Vivid, lustful memories passed through his mind as he watched her stand in front of him. Memories of her gloriously naked and convulsing with pleasure in his arms. He wanted that again, right now, and he attempted to ignore both the gnawing pain in his leg, and his increasing hardness, as he led her up the vast stairs. The slow path to his bedroom was killing him. It was taking all of his energy not to stop and have his way with her on the wooden staircase. But he had gone this long, he could hold out for another few minutes.

Molly felt as though her body was on fire. With the looks he had been giving her since they entered the house, she knew exactly what he wanted. She could see just how much he wanted it from the bulge in his dark jeans. She licked her lips hungrily at the very thought of it. At this moment, he had more control over her body than she did. The warmth she felt between her legs from just the looks he was giving her was overpowering.

He led her into a bedroom on the first floor

Her stomach quivered, her heart pounding inside her chest. It wasn't until that very moment that she came to realise how hard her nipples were. They were two unbelievably sore steel daggers poking out from her dress. He knew. He was watching her. He hadn't taken his eyes from her the whole way up the stairs.

She slowly turned around to see the intense way he was looking at her again. His gaze caused her nerves to multiply. The heat between them immediately sparked to life and exploded around them. Their bodies called for each other like two parts of one whole, and she felt herself being pulled towards him.

Suddenly, the nervousness faded and they dissolved in a frenzy of heated kisses, no finesse, just tongues and raw emotion. He took hold of her waist and pushed her towards the wall, groaning with relief as he finally felt her body moulded to his. She felt the fine cream silk of her dress pooling at her waist as he pulled it up, and up again with his fingers, the cool air attacking her bare legs.

She was protected only by the thin scrap of lace underwear that she had picked especially for their date. He gave two short tugs as they ripped from the force and were quickly discarded. Somewhere in her brain it vaguely registered that it had been a waste of twenty quid from that posh underwear shop. She no longer cared though, because his hands were circling her lower stomach, threading their way painfully slowly to their destination. He moved them to her thighs, her hips, her waist. Everywhere except the one place that she wanted, no she needed, him to touch. She was so wet, and so ready, that she felt like she would pass out if he didn't give her what he needed. He sensed her need and held her waist in place with one hand, using the other to hold her wrists in place above her head. She squirmed and mewled as she tried to force him to touch her. He held her tightly in place against the wall, even when she rubbed herself against his denim clad thigh, desperate for any sort of friction to do what she so desperately needed from him. She was on fire.

"Please-" she moaned between their urgent kisses "Please-" another kiss "I need you to touch me!"

"How much do you need it Molly?" he grinned at her wickedly, enjoying her palpable need for him. He felt the same sheer desperation to capitulate, but was managing to retain the small semblance of control that was still needed.

"So much. Need it so much boss. Need you" her desperate moans were starting to get to him, and he removed his hold from her wrists as she continued to buck against him. Like a greedy child, she grabbed his hand and tried to force him to place his fingers just where she needed them.

He chuckled at her impatience and took her by surprise, lifting her over to the couch that sat beside his double bed.

He placed her on the sumptuous couch, her dress gathered at her hips and she sank down into it, still breathless and needing him. She was turned on to the point of oblivion with no way to release the nervous tension that had built inside of her.

She desperately tried to touch herself, anything to relieve the pressure. He knelt on the floor and pulled her hands away holding her wrists away from her once more. She cried out in sheer frustration

"Boss, this is fucking torture. I need you inside me! Fucking do it, now!"

"Not yet Molly. Good things _come_ to those who wait" he wiggled his eyebrows at the double entendre, but it was lost on her - she was furious.

He took pity on her, and used one solitary finger to run along her soaking wet lips. He swept it lightly over her sensitive clitoris and she bucked wildly towards his finger, desperate for more. He couldn't resist any longer and suddenly placed an open, wet kiss directly on the right spot, first with his mouth, then with his tongue.

Her body arched off the deep couch in shock, her legs trembling and shaking at the sudden pressure from his mouth exactly where she needed it. As suddenly as he had started, he pulled away again, allowing the cool air in the room to circulate against her overheated core. She was shivering and trembling in shock at the sensations he was subjecting her to. She felt like she was on a roller coaster, the pressure building and building before a fateful drop. She needed her release.

He watched her writhe before him and made his decision. His mouth was back on her in seconds, attacking her clitoris with his tongue, sucking and devouring. She pulled on his hair, determined to keep him in place this time. She looked down at his beautiful face buried in her at exactly the same time as he looked up to watch her. Their eyes met as he sucked forcefully at her core. Suddenly, the pressure between her thighs built to a climax, and she roared with an incoherent howl as she exploded. He lapped hungrily between her thighs, enjoying every last drop that she gave him.

She continued to tremble as he sat her up and tugged hungrily on the zip of her dress. When it was finally free, he lifted it over her head and took in her beauty. She lay back down, spread over the luxurious material of the couch, her long wavy hair spread around her, and naked of everything except those high heeled shoes that he had admired as she walked into the restaurant. She was sated and breathless. But he wasn't finished yet.

He pulled off his shirt and began to drop it to the floor, then went for his belt as Molly sat up. "Wait-" she stopped him, grabbing hold of his hands. "I want to do it." She admitted softly as he let go of his belt buckle. Her shaky hands unclasped the belt, grabbing the leather strap and pulling it from around his waist. She dropped it to the floor and looked up at her man with a brilliant smile gracing her face the whole time, while she unzipped and unbuttoned him. Her hands explored around his body, feeling his muscles, teasing his nipples, admiring his smooth skin.

She pulled him into her and kissed his neck. Her hands wrapped around the back of his head, and she lightly sucked on his neck. He groaned in her ear and stood, lifting her in his arms to the double bed, and taking his place between her thighs. They pulled his underwear down together, Molly tugging on one side and him the other. She could feel his outrageous hardness pressed against her thigh and reached between them to grab hold of him.

He was ready, beyond ready; rock hard. His raging erection was already unbearable, but she still tightly pulled on his length with her hand. He kissed her cheek and around to her ear, down to her neck, sucking until he was sure to leave a mark.

She guided him to her opening, desperate to feel him inside of her. He exhaled heavily in her ear, the feeling of her stretching and forming around him was total bliss. "Oh, Fuck, yes." He grunted and slid in deeper.

They were lost in each other, connected in complete pleasure as they rocked back and forth. The headboard banged loudly against the wall as they slammed harder and harder against it. For the first time, they could communicate their love to each other as vocally as they wanted; there were no barriers.

Mid thrust, Molly decided to take control. She was building up to another earth shattering orgasm, but she found the strength to place her hands on his buttocks and stop him mid thrust. He stopped, tormented and breathless as he cursed.

"What the fuck?"

"Just what you say boss, good things _come_ to those who wait!" She grinned evilly as she flipped them over,

Captain James laid out on his back below her. She had taken control from him and was setting the pace. She eased him back inside of her as she ground her hips around him, making sure that the friction between them hit that sweet spot between her legs with every single stroke.

She watched his torment as she ground slowly against him, taking care to draw out every last drop of pleasure. Eventually she took pity on him and sped up her movements, grabbing his hand and placing it on her breasts. He took the hint and caressed them with care as she rode him, faster and faster.

He could see the glassiness pass through her eyes and knew she was on the verge. At that, he pulled her down towards him, and the sudden movement ensured that he stroked her insides at her deepest point. The change floored her and she let out a deep moan of ecstasy as she felt her insides contract with pleasure at her very core. She felt like she was exploding from the inside out.

As he watched her writhe in pleasure before his eyes, he felt himself taken by the same waves that rocked her. She tightened and exploded around him, wetness gushing around his rock hard erection. He couldn't hold out any longer and groaned deeply and huskily as each pulse released inside of her, until he was empty and spent.

His mind was blown. Neither could speak as she collapsed on top of him, unwilling to release him from her hold. He gently pulled a blanket from the top of the bed over them and kissed her forehead as she panted breathlessly above him.

They had returned to each other, their journey complete.

They were most certainly, involved.

**A.N - Sooooo! That's all folks! I very much hope you enjoyed the ride (ahem..!) as I most certainly did! Writing my first ever fanfic has been an absolute pleasure from start to finish. What started as a little one shot definitely grew arms and legs!**

**Many thanks to anybody who left a review, and to all the lovely mumsnetters for their encouragement. Anyone who has said a kind word about this story has given me the motivation to crack ahead and finish it, so thank you! I hope to write about these two characters again, and have a couple of one shot ideas floating around, so I do hope that this isn't the end!**


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